Something Like Fate
by MovingOnIsNeverEasy
Summary: Childhood best friends, Damon and Elena, are forced to be apart for some time. Years have passed and now they live their own lives. Then they meet again and they are questioning whether their feelings are going to affect their friendship or not. A story of friendship, love, courage, loyalty, and of course, betrayal. AH. Currently on hiatus!
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings. The idea of the story came a while ago while I was listening Taylor Swift's Mary's Song. Since then I could not get it out of my head and I decide to put it up here. I hope you like it!**

 **Summary: Childhood best friends, Damon and Elena, were forced to be apart for some time. Years have passed and they now live their own lives. Then they meet again and they are questioning whether what their feelings for each other are going to affect their friendship or not. A story of friendship, love, courage, loyalty, and of course, betrayal. AH.**

 **Oh, Elena and Damon both 8 years old in this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I just borrowed the characters but the storyline is 100% mine.**

* * *

 **10** **years earlier...**

* * *

Two kids were lying down, looking up at the apple tree above them as their parents dine on the foyer. They were whispering about how life would be more amazing if there were no fruits and veggies.

"Yeah, that would be awesome. We can just eat ice cream or cupcakes all the time," the little girl giggled heartily.

"Or we can eat chicken nuggets for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now that would be so cool!" the boy exclaimed as he clapped his hands.

Suddenly, the girl sat up and leaning against the big tree, "Damon?"

The little guy followed her move and sat beside her, "Yeah?"

"Do you think my parents will not care about me anymore when my little sister comes?"

"Len, what did I say about that days ago?" he said in annoyance. His little friend could be so insecure sometime and he hated it when she did that.

"I know, but –"

"But nothing. Your parents love you, my parents also love you, and I love you because you are my bestest friend in the whole world!" Damon grinned as he wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulder.

She stopped to think for a while before she said, "I know. I'm sorry. I forgot that many people care about me."

"Don't you ever forget that, you know? Because no matter what, you will always be loved," Damon smiled his megawatt smile.

"Ew! You're a flirt! I watched it on a TV show my mom used to watch and he said the same thing and the girl said that he was a flirt," she got up and tried to get away from her best friend.

"Oh I'll show you a flirt," he then ran to catch her but the little girl's feet was going too fast until she bumped into Giuseppe, Damon's father.

"Not too fast, 'Lena. You'll fall and you'll get hurt," he said stopping her.

Elena laughed and hid behind Giuseppe as Damon now stood in front of her father, "She called me a flirt. What does flirt even mean? Is that bad? Is it? Is it?!"

Giuseppe and the rest of the adults laughed and grinned happily looking at their little precious' behavior, "It's not always bad, Damon. You'll know when you grow up," Grayson, Elena's father, said.

"I hate it when they say that," he mumbled.

Elena then ran to her mother to sit on her lap, "Careful, sweetheart, wouldn't want to crush your little sister," Miranda said and Elena wiggled her butt a little.

"Oh those kids. It would be pretty nice to see that they would be best friends until they have kids of their own, "Agatha, Damon's mother said.

The boys now were running in the backyard playing some catch, too busy to hear what the ladies talked about.

"Or maybe they would fall in love and we will be in-laws," Miranda said breathlessly as if she was imagining it in her head.

"Yes, and they will have cute babies running around the house,"

"Mom, I don't want to have babies with Damon," Elena complained.

Agatha and Miranda laughed quietly, "Why, hun?"

"It's gross, mom. I would never get married to Damon," Elena shuddered.

"What are you ladies talk about?" Grayson asked when the boys have finished their game and sat on their seats.

"Just saying about what if Elena and Damon got married," Miranda answered as she placed Elena on her seat beside Damon and pass the food to her husband.

"Uh, no way. That is so gross, Mrs. Gilbert. Elena is my best friend," Damon made a face of disgust.

"See, mom, that would never happen," Elena said then nodded to Damon.

"Those two say that now, let's skip ten years and let's see what they would say," Giuseppe laughed.

They ate their dinner in comfortable sense, now knowing that a week from now the two kids in the topic would be separated by fate.

* * *

"What do you mean you're moving?" Elena's lips trembled.

"My dad got a job in New York, Len," he sighed sadly, "I wanted to stay but they said I'm not an adult yet so they can't leave me here."

"You can stay in my house, at least until you can live by yourself," she cried.

Damon moved to gather the skinny girl in his embrace, "That's what I said, but they told me that I can't. I have to move with them."

"But Damon... what about me? If you go, who will be my friend?"

He let her go but keep his hands on her shoulders, "You will have many friends. Girlfriends so that they could do fashion show with you. You know I hate to do that, I'm not a girl," Damon made a face.

"Yeah, but who will cut my sandwich at school? You know how my mom always forgets."

"Well, I guess it means you have to be a big girl and cut it yourself."

"I don't want to be a big girl," Elena cried harder than before and hugged Damon back like her life depended on it, "I don't wanna, I don't wanna."

Damon's heart broke in two seeing his best friend cried like that. He'd never make Elena cry before and now he'd done it and it pained him to see that. So he moved his hand up and down her back to calm her but her cried was getting louder and louder. It took her almost fifteen minutes to finally calm down and left tear stains on Damon's navy blue shirt.

"I'm sorry, Len. You know I would never leave you if I can," Damon smiled sadly.

She sniffed, "I know. That's why I can always count on you."

"And you still can. I will call you every week. Or maybe every day when I got no homework and we can talk all night, if my dad allows me to," Damon tried to cheer his girl.

She sniffed again and looked up at him with her reddish brown eyes, "It will not the same. I can't see you on the phone."

"There's always internet, I'll ask my mom to help me video call you," promised Damon.

She mumbled at herself, contemplating the idea, "Well... that could work. I mean, I will ask my dad too, to help me set up the video call."

Damon grinned, "Then it's settled. We will talk as much as we can when we're away."

She nodded weakly, "Yeah..."

"But I can tell that something is still bothering you," Damon frowned.

"It's just that... um, I'm shy around new people. Especially when you're not around," she said sheepishly.

He smiled then, "Don't be, Len. You are a very good friend and I believe that everyone wants to be your friend."

"I am?" she smiled with her big eyes look hopefully at her best friend.

"Yeah, you are. You always remind me to eat breakfast and you share your lunch with me. For me, that's what good friend's do." Damon said proudly to Elena.

"You're a good friend to me too, Damon," she smiled.

"Okay, then, this is not goodbye, okay? Just temporary before we meet again," Damon held out his right hand for Elena to shake.

She took his hand in her, "Yes, just temporary."

"Until then, Elena."

"See you again, Damon."

* * *

 **Here it is, first chapter of the story.**

 **Anyway, I am not abandoning Blind Date or The Lucky One, I just haven't had the time to edit the chapter I have written for Blind Date and I have lost my muse for The Lucky One. So if any one of you have any ideas of what you want to read in TLO, you can just review the story or pm me :)**

 **Also, I'm sorry if there are any grammatical mistakes.**

 **See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here you go!**

 **It is set in present time now, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

The sun was shining brightly, accompanying the cheerleaders of Mystic Falls High practice for the game that was going to be held in two days. The girls were on fire as their head cheerleader, Bonnie Bennett, watched them closely.

Bonnie was the kind of girl you would be looking for if you got boy problem. She knew what most boys want and maybe that was why she is popular among them. Meanwhile, Caroline Forbes was a different story. She was a hot nerd girl, who wore glasses at school and had won many math competitions. Most of the time they got along, but when they didn't, Elena Gilbert acted as their referee.

Elena was a popular teenage girl. With her long brunette hair, her updated fashion style, and her parents, no one in school not knowing her existence. She dreamed of being a fashion designer, so that was why she took it as her major in New York University for the next year term. Even though popular, she was raised to be kind, selfless, and passionate. She wasn't like any other queen bee you saw at typical high school.

"Go Beavers! Show them what you got, Beavers," Bonnie yelled passionately.

From the benches across the field, Caroline and Elena, was talking as they sipping their coke.

"When will we get out of here? I'm bored," Caroline whined as she put her head on Elena's shoulder.

"When she," she tipped her head toward Bonnie, "get bored of teaching the already perfect cheer team."

"Okay, I get that this game is going to be her last game as head cheer, but seriously, we gotta get out of here."

"Well, she's determined at what she do," Elena reasoned.

The blonde girl sat up and looked at her best friend, "Ugh, you always defend her."

The brunette laughed, "No, I'm not. Relax, Care, you're math books not going anywhere."

"Shut up."

"And Enzo will also not going anywhere," Elena choked back a laugh.

"I said shut up, Gilbert," the girl snapped and huffed, "I'm not seeing him anymore."

"What? Why? You like him, _I_ like him. He's nice and smart. Totally your type."

"I just...," Caroline sighed," I'm not feeling it with him, you know. Yes, he's nice, and yes, he's smart. But something was lacking in our relationship."

Caroline had been seeing Enzo Turner, the cute British transfer, for the past four months. They were even planning on to be one of the candidates for prom king and queen. Elena and Bonnie were happy for their friend to finally leave some books at home and went out with a good guy for once.

"And what is it?"

"I don't know," she crossed her arms, "The fire, I guess."

"Well, Care, as long as you're happy, I don't care who you're dating," she wrapped her best friend in her arms.

Caroline smiled then turned to face Elena," What about you? Still seeing Matt?"

"You know it," she winked, "You know, you gotta get out some more instead of bury your face in books. You already got accepted in same Uni as me, you have nothing to worry about."

"Okay, fine, I'll try to hang out with you guys before the term ends. And how's Matt?"

"He's over there," Elena pointed at the guy who was wearing football jersey across the field.

Matt Donovan was an All-American king of guy, blue eyes and blond hair. Elena felt grateful to have met him because since junior high, Matt has been her friend who was always protective of her. They had been dating since they were freshmen in high school, and their relationship is one of the things Elena appreciated in her life. Matt was always there for her, took care of her when she was sick and her parents were away for their second honeymoon, he also got along with her sister, Katherine, who was now in elementary school.

"Look how cool he is," Elena sighed lovingly.

"Aw you guys acting _lovey dovey_ together are so cute," Caroline said cheekily.

None of them were noticed that the cheer practice has ended and Bonnie was walking toward them, "Hey, sorry it took longer than expected. You guys ready?"

Elena blinked, "Yep, so ready, especially this math girl."

Caroline mumbled something, then stood up and grabbed her soft pink backpack. Elena followed suit and picked up hers.

"I am hungry actually; could we stop by The Grill?" Bonnie asked after she threw away her empty water bottle in the trash bin.

"Yeah, sure, you guys go ahead, I gotta talk to Matt for a second," Elena trotted toward Matt was talking to his teammates. The girls walked to the parking lot talking about how sweet they were.

"Matt!" Elena called out and his boyfriend looked up and smiles. He then walked to her, a few feet from his friends hanging.

"Hey, sweet," he kissed her lips quickly.

She smiled at the affection and touched his bicep, "The girls and I are going to The Grill, wanna come?"

"Maybe later. The coach still wants us to practice for the game, it's put last game this season, you know," he said.

Elena made a face, "Okay, but don't practice too hard. Don't want you to get sick."

He leaned in and kissed her nose, "Aw you are worried about me. Okay, 'Lena. See you later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, babe."

* * *

Matt wasn't coming to The Grill, it turned out. He got held up and it ended up as a girls' night.

"So, after this week is over, we are no longer a high school student," Bonnie said excitedly, "Then I'm going to UCLA while you guys go to NYU. It sucks."

"I know, right? At least I'm with Elena, and we already have the same dorm room," Caroline stuck her tongue out and Bonnie as well.

"You guys don't deserve to be a Uni student. You are acting like twelve, for God's sake," Elena laughed.

"Anyway, who's your new neighbor?" Caroline asked as she sipped her lemon tea.

"What neighbor?" Elena asked again, confused.

"The one who moved next to your house this morning. I was on my way to school with mom when I see the movers."

She frowned, "Huh, I don't even know I got a new neighbor. The house has been empty for ten years. The last family was the Salvatores."

Elena couldn't help but reminisce about the good ole' times with the family next door. Giuseppe and Agatha Salvatore was a very nice couple who often invites the Gilberts over to their house for dinner on the weekend. The husband was journalist whilst the wife was a housewife. They had a son, her best friend who she never contacted again even when they had promised to, Damon Salvatore; a tall kid, who often called a freak by kids his age, with blue eyes like his mother and onyx hair like his father. Damon and Elena were inseparable as kids. Even though Damon only lived in the neighborhood for three years, they were as close as glue to a stick.

When Damon told her that they were going to move to New York, Elena was sick, physically and emotionally. That was the first time she felt heart break. Her only friend was Damon and he was gone. Well, they did talk over the phone within three months after he was gone, but then he never called again and she was busy with school and new friends.

She felt so bad about it, actually. It she could turn back the time, she would beg her parents to visit Damon every year on Christmas in New York.

"Elenaaaaaaa," Caroline poked her side numerous times.

"Knock it off," she chastised.

"You were somewhere else. Where did you go?" Bonnie asked.

"Nowhere. Just thinking about the Salvatores," she answered.

"Yeah, you were really close with that kid... what was his name again?" Caroline raised her perfectly arch-shaped eyebrows.

"Damon. His name was Damon Salvatore. He was my childhood best friend," she smiled, "We'd done everything together, from doing homework, to play my fashion show. I made him my model and he never complained once. Well, I could see it in his face that he was not fond of it, though."

"Uh oh... Matt should be more careful," Bonnie smiled slyly.

"Why?"

"The way you talked about him is different."

"Because he is. He's been there for me, you know, when I was a kid."

"What if, that the family who just moved is the Salvatores and Damon has turned to be the hottest guy on the planet with his hypnotizing blue eyes? And don't say I never met him, even though I have _never_ met him in person, but I saw the pictures," Caroline said, cocking her head to the side.

"I would say that it would be impossible," Elena thought rationally, "Besides, who's to say that he would remember me?"

"You'd never know, fate has a way to make it come true, you know."

* * *

"Mom, I'm home," Elena yelled.

"'Lena you're hooome," Katherine ran toward her and hugged her, "I have to talk to you and it is important."

"Nice to see you too, Kat," she smirked, but the little sister ignored her and pulled her upstairs toward Elena's bedroom.

Her bedroom was simple, yellow wallpaper with sunflower on one side and the other three were painted soft yellow. A queen size bed in the middle of the living room filled with throw pillows and her blankets. The drawer opposite the bed was white and on top of it, she placed her accessories, like her necklaces, her bracelets and her many rings. Her closet was next to the door and it was as neat as she could make it, she color coded it. A full length mirror was placed next to her window seat and her desk was placed next to her drawer.

"What?"

"Look," Katherine jumped on the window seat and pointed toward the newly occupied house.

The house was still the same; same white picket fences which now already repainted, same big trees in the backyard, same Koi pond that now had filled with colorful fish. She rarely looked at the house next door because then she would remember Damon and the Salvatore and then she would feel regret to not contacting him first.

"What? What I'm supposed to see?" she sat next to her little sister.

"Isn't that Damon? Well, he's bigger and taller and older, but the eyes and the hair. It's similar to the pics you always showed me!"

Then she looked to where her sister pointed, and there he was, stood tall with his hands on both side of his jeans pockets, and the way that the maroon Henley shirt wrapped his muscular biceps; Damon.

Damon Salvatore has returned.

* * *

 **Damon is back, people! Next chapter we will see how the main characters interact, again!**

 **My muse has been good to me since last night and I couldn't get the idea out of my head until I typed it :D**

 **Anyway, forgive the grammatical mistakes please.**

 **Drop a review will ya? Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am on fire! enjoy this chapter, guys.**

 **Oh and I think this story might change to M. Tee hee.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

It was a fine Saturday afternoon; Elena was in the kitchen preparing for something she would like to call her 'chocolate blast surprise'. Katherine was finishing off her DIY dream catcher on the kitchen counter whilst chewing her favorite cherry gum.

"What are you making again?" the little sister asked.

"Chocolate filled brownies with rainbow sprinkles on top," she answered as she sprinkle the top of the chocolate brownies.

"For me? No need, sis," she said smugly. Katherine tied the end of her dream catcher, "and... voilà! It is done!"

Elena scoffed, "Yeah, you wish. It's for the Salvatores." She grabbed a big white plate and placed her brownies carefully, "You know you could help, right?"

"What for? You're the best baker in the family," Katherine shrugged. She hopped off the stool and ran to her room left Elena shook her head for her sister's behavior.

She had formed a plan right after she saw Damon and knew that the Salvatores were back for good. Her mother haven't had time to make a housewarming gift and she decided that she would make one, it could be used as an excuse to enter the big house of Salvatore and meet Damon again.

She then placed the plate of brownies on the table and wrote a note for Katherine, in case she went downstairs and took the brownies she had made. She rushed upstairs to take a quick shower and get dressed; she chose to wear her pink camisole and her light grey cardigan, her old blue jeans and her black flats. She wore her hair down in natural waves and she put on a light makeup on her already beautiful face.

"Kat, I'm going next door," she yelled as she run downstairs, "There are brownies without sprinkles in the fridge for you."

She went to the kitchen and took her freshly made brownies. She carefully walked to the front door, open it then out the door. She turned left then went straight before she turned left again and walked up to the Salvatores' residence. When she stood in front of the big brown oak door she took a deep breath before she knocked the door. She knocked once... twice... and she held her breath when the front door opened.

"Can I help you?" a blond little guy was standing in front of her. He had a pair of calm green eyes and he couldn't be more than thirteen years old.

"Uh... yeah, is Agatha here?" she asked with a more confident voice.

He turned his head, "Yeah, let me call her. Come on in."

She stepped inside and look around the house. Not much had changed, on her left they still use it as a formal dining room and on her left was a home study. The stairs was still the same, and also the foyer, and she walked even further inside and she found that the great room was now a little bit brighter because they had it paint yellow canary. The open kitchen was clean as usual as she remembered that Agatha is a neat freak; the breakfast area that led to the big backyard reminded her of the days her family used to spent many Sundays together with his family.

"Excuse me?"

Elena gasped and she turned around to find Agatha, Damon's mother. She looked older obviously, but surely not more than forty five. She had grey hair two or three but other than that, she looked pretty amazing as usual.

"Agatha," she smiled and handed the brownies, "here's a little housewarming gift from my mom for you."

She smiled back, a little confused, but took the plate from her and gave it to the boy standing next to her. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

She grinned, "Guess who."

The older lady frowned a little as she try to remember, "Well, I don't... wait a second... Elena Gilbert?"

Elena nodded her head as she shared her big smile and went to hug her, "I miss you so much, Mama Salvatore."

Agatha wrapped her hands around the younger girl, "I miss you too, sweetie."

She let go of her embrace but keep her hands loosely on her Agatha's back, "Aw, come on now, no tears," she said as she wiped Damon's mother's tear.

"I just can't believe after all these years that I can see you again," she sniffed, "You've grown up so well, girl. You look so beautiful and so much alike your mother."

Elena smiled, "Thanks, you too, you look prettier as you get older, Mama."

"Oh, come on in, come sit," she led her to the living room and Elena took a seat on the white love seat.

"Thank you. So, how are you?"

"I'm better now that I have seen you again, Elena. I missed having a neighbor that I consider family when I was in New York. No family like yours there, you know. They were all busy and barely got time to acknowledge my family," she told Elena.

"I missed having a neighbor who always invited us on Sundays too," she winked.

"Oh, almost forgot," Agatha let out a small gasp, "what would you like to drink?"

"Just cold water, please, thank you, Agatha."

She went to the kitchen leaving Elena alone admiring this family's old fireplace that she had always adored.

"Stefan, call your brother upstairs!" Agatha yelled from the kitchen.

 _So the little boy's name is Stefan. Who is he anyway?_ Elena thought. _Wait, he's going to call Damon?_ The _Damon? My supposed best friend Damon?_

Elena widened her eyes realizing that in under one minute she would see Damon again. She would meet her best friend that she had missed when he was gone.

"Here you go," Agatha handed her a glass of cold water.

She sipped a little then placed it on the table, "So, Damon's here?"

"Yes, he's upstairs. Let me finish packing so that you two can talk," she winked, "I'll talk to you later, sweetie."

She couldn't help but feel her heart racing fast inside her as she heard footsteps toward her. Then she finally saw him; tall, raven haired, and mesmerizing blue eyes. With only his faded jeans and blue navy shirt, he could be mistaken as one of male models. His attire and his so fine physique screamed danger and dark but all she could focus on is his big grin.

"Hi, you –," Damon walked faster toward her and she stood up, "you are shitting me right now. No way!" He laughed hysterically and walk faster.

Elena took a few steps forward, and she smiled shyly, "Hi Damon."

"Elena Gilbert." He stopped just a step away from her before taking her in a bone crushing hug, "Oh my God, I miss you so much, lil lady."

She felt fireworks.

She felt like a big missing part of her that was gone now came back again.

She had never been one of those cliché and cheesy girl who feel butterflies whenever someone that they missed touched them. She hated that, actually. Matt had never even made her felt butterflies and fireworks.

He picked her up and twirled her round in his strong arms and she let out gleeful giggles. He smelled of sun, he must have been outside earlier that day, but still she thought he smell pretty good.

After two more twirls he stopped and put her down but kept his arms around her shoulder.

"You have changed so much, my friend," he grinned.

She scoffed, "You're one to talk. You've changed from a weird tall kid to a male model in ten years. Oh, and you guessed so much better than your mom, she didn't recognize me at first."

Damon's cheek turned two shades of pink, "Your eyes gave away, you know," he smirked, "Oh, and did I hear compliment?"

Now it was Elena's turned to blush, "Of the highest order," she said as they sat on the love seat. She felt like she had entered twilight zone; her best friend, who had turned to be a very hot guy, snuggled her on the sofa.

"So, how are you, Len?"

Oh how she missed him calling her that.

"You still call me 'Len'," she grinned, she was happy and nothing could compare to this moment.

"Well, yeah, that's your name, isn't it?" he shuffled a little so that they could be more comfortable. Elena's side pressed against him and she almost thought that they had returned to their childhood. Damon was always been protective of her, and she liked that.

"Kind of," she smiled sheepishly.

"You're going to college this year, right? Where do you go?"

"NYU, I took fashion designer as my major," she smiled proudly to herself.

"I knew it. It was your dream since you were practically a baby," he teased.

"And what about you?"

"I'm going to take a gap year, Len. Mom opened a restaurant in New York and I'm going to take care of it for a year. I'm sick of school, I guess, so that's why I took the opportunity," he explained.

Damon is going to live in New York too?, she thought excitedly. It meant that they would not be far away from each other anymore. It was a pretty good feeling to know that your best friend was going to be live in the same city as you, at least you know someone in a new city. Technically, Caroline was going to be there too, but it was different. It was _Damon_.

"Oh. That's great that you're helping your mom. Where is the restaurant anyway?" she asked, trying very hard to hide her excitement.

"It is just three blocks away from NYU, actually. So we can go visit each other," he smiled.

Score! Even better, she screams internally.

Suddenly, the blond little guy came and turned on the TV and sat on the sofa across them.

"Oh, that reminds me. Stefan, this is Elena. Len, this is Stefan, my brother," Damon introduced us.

She frowned a little as she remembered that the Salvatores only have one child. Then who was this Stefan, who Damon introduced as his brother?

* * *

 **For your information, Stefan will play a pretty big role in DE's lives, so stick around to find out. And as always, I'm sorry for the grammar mistakes.  
**

 **Don't forget to feed my muse by reviewing, guys. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I wrote this chapter in two hours and without a beta, so forgive me if there is something wrong in choice of words, grammar, or maybe typo, kay? Thanks :)**

 **Here you go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

"Remember when we used to say we would go here together?" Damon asked as he handed her his leather jacket to wear.

They were now standing in front of Mystic Falls High to watch the very last game of the season, and happened to be Bonnie's last game as a head cheerleader. She had texted her twice in an hour to remind her to come and at first, she didn't want to bring Damon along but she'd still missed him so he tag along now.

She looked at him confused and he tipped his head to tell her to wear it; which she finally complied.

"I know. And as it turns out, I'm the only one who go here," she teased.

He let out a fake annoyance sigh, "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry for leaving you all those years ago and I couldn't be there for your high school dramas?"

She laughed, "Okay, fine. You're forgiven."

He smirked and put his arms around her as they always do when they were kids. Damon felt Elena tense a little but the next second he felt her more relaxed in his arms.

"I'm sorry to drag you here. Bonnie, the head cheerleader and also my best friend, forced me to go since months ago because this is her last game before college," she said as they walked through the crowd toward the football field.

"What did you say about her being your best friend?" Damon suddenly stopped gave her his pouty face.

"Aw, do you still think you're my one and only _bestest_ friend, Damon? Do you?" she stuck her tongue out to him.

"Come here you, little girl," he started to chase her and she ran.

And she ran.

And she ran whilst laughing loudly, didn't care about the looks that people gave them.

Her running stopped when she bump into something solid.

Matt.

"'Lena, careful!" he half-yelled at her.

She still laughed and turned her head to find Damon was already behind her, "Sorry, babe. This is Damon Salvatore, my childhood _bestest_ friend. Damon, this is Matt, my boyfriend."

She didn't realize the grimace on Damon's face. He felt protective already about Elena having boyfriend even though it didn't make sense to him; she was an adult and she can fully take care of herself, but here he was, feeling a little bit overprotective and territorial of her.

"Hey, man," Matt reached out for Damon's hand and he shook it halfway.

"Nice to meet you... Donovan, right? Matt Donovan, who lives two blocks away from school?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Do you know him?" Elena asked as Matt pulled her closer to his side and threw an arm around her. Just like what Damon did minutes ago.

"Yes, I often saw a blond boy with his bicycle around town square. Once I asked my mom about it and she said he's the Donovan boy. Your mother owns a bakery in town, right?"

"Yeah, she did. She passed away now and the bakery closed after that and the computer shop replaced it," Matt responded flatly.

"Oh, sorry, man. That's sucks," Damon said without a bit of sorry.

"Yeah, it was a long time ago anyway," he dismissed the topic, "Is this Damon Salvatore who lived next to your house?" he asked Elena.

"Yep, and he's back now. And guess what? He's going to live in New York as well! Isn't that just cool to have friend beside Caroline that I know there?" Elena beamed, looking up at Matt.

"Yeah it is."

Matt thought it would be better for Elena to have a guy friend who could protect her in big apple. But why did he feel something is going to turn bad for him as he lived in the same city as her?

* * *

"Hey, Bon!" Elena shouted, calling her dark-haired friend who was talking to Caroline. Damon was tagging alone behind her.

After meeting Matt, he felt something he hasn't felt before. He knew that he was protective of Elena when they were kids, but he didn't think he would act the same, even more protective, now. Elena was like a little sister to him and he did not want her to get hurt, physically and emotionally. Especially by people like Matt. He seem like the type to settle down easily with white picket fence house and a dog, whilst Elena had a bit of fire inside her that hungry for adventure, he knew that since two months after he knew her when she offered to take him around town, just with their bikes and a bottle of water. He just didn't think that Matt is what Elena's heart needed.

"Come on! You have to meet the girls that occupied your job when you're gone." She tugged his hand and the walked faster.

"Hi, 'Lena. Who you got there?" Caroline, even when she cared more about books than boys, she knew how to play her games in the field.

"Everyone, this is Damon Salvatore," she had a big grin on her face that he couldn't help but smile as well.

"Hey," he greeted the two girls.

"Bonnie," the Bennett girl reached out to shake Damon's hand, "it's nice to finally meet you, Damon."

"Pleasures all mine, Bon Bon," he smirked.

"Oh, he got your nickname already, Bon," Caroline teased as Bonnie gave her one of her fake smiles, "I'm Caroline, it's great to finally meet the great Damon Salvatore. You know, Elena talks about you a lot, Damon this... Damon that, blah blah blah. We almost chopped our ears off when she starts talking about you."

"Shut up, Care," she glared at her friend. "Come on Damon, let's find our seats."

Then she practically dragged Damon out from the field toward the bleachers.

"Oh and you promised me a hot dog." Elena reminded Damon as they were already three steps away from them.

The two friends heard what Elena said and looked at each other.

"Now Matt should be really careful," Bonnie said sympathetically.

"I know, right? Just look at his eyes, bluer that the Mediterranean. And his body," she whistled, "He could be an actor, just sayin'."

* * *

"Hey, kitten, I met Agatha yesterday in the fresh market, and she said something interesting," Miranda walked into the kitchen where Elena was having her mother's grape pancakes and scrambled eggs with hot black coffee with two spoons of sugar and cream.

"What?"

"She said thanks for the brownies. The thing is, I never even made brownies in two months," she raised her eyebrow at her.

Elena looked down at the floor guiltily, "Busted."

"So, why did you lie?" she sat in front of her with a mug of English tea.

"Well... I had to find a way to get into their house and meet Agatha and Damon again, you know. So that's why I lied. Sorry, mom."

She expected her mom to be at least upset because of her lying and involved her as well, but her mother's reaction was one eighty different. She laughed.

"You can just say that directly, Elena. I'm sure they would want to meet you without you bringing them food."

"I know, I just... I think I just want to impress them as well with my brownies."

Miranda shook her head, "Kitten of mine, it feels just like yesterday I brought you home from the hospital and now you've all grown up and in four days you're leaving for college. In New York, no less."

"Come on, mom, no mushy mushy stuff," she smiled and grabbed her mother's hand in hers, "I'll call you every day. Well... maybe once in three days or something."

"I'll face time you every day and don't you dare to reject me, you listen?" she demanded.

"Okay, okay," she raised her hands up in surrender and went to the sink to put her dirty plate in it.

"Did you know that Damon's taking a gap year and running his mom's business in New York? And it also located three – ,"

"Blocks away from your school. Yes, I know, 'Lena," she sipped her tea.

She made a face to her mother, "Okay, then. I'm gonna go upstairs and start packing."

* * *

"Psst... Psst... Lena!"

She heard someone called her name when she was putting her sweaters in her big dark blue suitcase. She went to her window seat, sat on the cushion and opened the window wider.

"Damon?"

She squinted her eyes and saw Damon, with a big smile that showed his teeth and waving at her.

"What? I'm packing here"

"Nothing, I just miss talking to you," he said as he opened his window wider and wider until she could catch a glimpse of what his room looked like. The king sized bed was behind him with red cotton sheets and the walls were painted dark brown. On the corner, next to his bedside table was his desk with a laptop on it. It was different than what she could remember.

She remembered Damon's room filled with blocks of Lego and expensive helicopter toys. The walls were warm white and he had a single bed in the middle of the room. They would play Lego on his bed, building castle ruled by Barbie and Ken of hers.

She smiled shyly, "We just got off the phone three hours ago, remember?"

"Yeah, but we missed ten years of our lives together and maybe I want to talk to you about what I did in all those years."

"We have our times later when we go to New York and you gonna take me to your spots that you always brag about."

"I will take you there, I never break my promises," he said.

She thought for a minute, "Yes, you have. Once."

He looked alert, "What? When? How?"

"When you promised to keep in touch with me yet you stopped calling me three months after you left. I didn't want to call you first, I'm a girl," she said as if the explanation is obvious.

His lips form an 'O', "Yes, I'm so sorry about that."

She crossed her arms, pretend to mad at him, "Sorry's not gonna enough."

"What do you want me to do?" he whined and pouted.

She tried her best not to laugh, "You have to buy me breakfast, lunch and dinner for ten days when we're got to New York. And you know how I cannot miss my big breakfast."

"Deal," he said immediately.

"Then I forgive you," she smiled. "Oh, I haven't seen your father around. Where is he? Is he still in New York?"

Damon's smile faltered then his lips formed a hard line, "No, he's not."

"Well, where is he?" she repeated her question. Now she was really curious about his father whereabouts.

Damon stopped for a second, "Hear that? Mom's calling, gotta go now. Talk to you later, Len."

Then he got up from his window seat and closed his window. It was like he closed his heart and his mouth so that she won't know the answer of her question.

Damon is deflecting, she thought.

And when Damon is deflecting, something was definitely wrong.

* * *

 **I'll try to update once a week, because school has started to take its toll on me and it has only been three weeks since it's started. Bleh.**

 **But... do you know what makes me write faster and motivate me to write and write? your REVIEWS!**

 **So leave one on this chapter, would ya? Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! A teeny tiny bit of time jump here and DE, and Caroline are already in NY.**

 **Happy reading, you guys!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

Sunday morning suns broke out from her window in her dorm room that she shared with Caroline. They had arrived in New York on Thursday since Friday and Saturday were orientation days. Her mother and Caroline's shed tears that could fill a bucket and the girls could not help but crying too when they hugged their mother. Grayson had a proud smile all day when he dropped them off and Katherine was a good enough actress for not showing her sadness over her sister leaving, deep inside though, she felt empty because then there was no more Elena in the house back in Mystic Falls and she hated it.

Elena and Caroline's dorm room was small but enough for them. It fit two single beds on the corners of the room, two medium sized drawers and two desks next to the door. The bedroom painted warm chocolate and they had hung many posters, pin-ups and reminders on the walls. Elena's side of the room was neat; she brought her mannequin from home than put it on the corner next to the desk and she already organized her desk with colorful pencils, papers, and books for the semester. While Caroline's side... not so much. She had not had the time to organize everything since she had already pretty bust with her math club and her book club; she had promised herself to be more active in academic field and social field as well.

Elena was the first one to wake up, she took a minute or two to yawn and stretch her body like a kitten, she blinked repeatedly, still could not believe that she was a university student in NYU. She smiled a little to reward herself so that she could start the day with positive mindset.

"Care, wake up! It's...," she looked at her alarm clock on the bedside table, "8.20 already. I'm hungry, let's go find some food."

Caroline stirred then let out a sleepy sigh of annoyance, "Would you shut up? It's my last day to be free to wake up as late as I want," she mumbled then buried her face in her pillow then covered herself deeper in her sea of sheets and blankets.

Elena chuckled quietly then put on her fuzzy slipper before she went to her desk and looked down at her phone. Two messages. One from her mother who said good morning and one from Damon. She decided to open Damon's first.

 _Bestest Friend:_

 _Morning, Len. Wanna get some breakfast?_ _I expect you to be ready and wait outside_ _at 9._

She smiled at his text. He was always this bossy.

Damon had returned to New York on Saturday since his mother thought that it would be functional for the business to open on Monday when the school started. Agatha and Damon's little brother stayed in Mystic Falls but they would check on Damon and the restaurant from time to time, they said.

She replied with a 'sure', before she went to the bathroom that students shared. She was lucky because it wasn't crowded since other students usually woke up later than she did. She spent a good fifteen minutes; lathering herself with her new Bath and Body Works' Endless Weekend twice then brushed her teeth.

She found herself in her room at 8.40 then get dressed in a hurry. She threw her hair in a loose ponytail and chose her faded blue jeans and her turquoise long sleeve. She put on her flats and grabbed her mini silver sling bag, put her phone and some cash in it before she went to Caroline's sleeping body.

She leaned down and whispered to her, "I gotta go, see you this evening, love ya, Care," Caroline answered with some mumbled 'I love you too', then Elena went out the door.

It was already 9.05 when she stepped outside. Her doe eyes instantly found Damon's body leaning against his black hybrid car.

"Good morning," she stood on her tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. She felt the indescribable happiness when she was Damon. Even though he was only in jeans and t-shirt, he looked really good.

"You look jolly good this morning," he said as he opened her door and she stepped inside of his car that smelled like pine and _Damon_.

As soon as Damon sat next to her on the driver seat, she turned herself so that she could look at him, "I am in a good mood. You want to buy me breakfast so why should I feel sour?"

He laughed, "Yes, I intend to keep my promise to you from now on. Now, do you feel like pancakes, waffle, muffin, or omelet today?"

Damon started the car and it moved forward through NYU buildings in no time.

"I'm thinking... waffle. With vanilla ice cream and almonds on top. Also blueberry scones and hot jasmine tea. It would be so delicious."

"You eat too much and I don't know how you keep your body slim and healthy," he shook his head, amused.

She blushed, "Says the one who looks like a model and with the same appetite as me."

It felt nice to have this conversation with Damon. She realized that now they had met after ten years and now they are in their young adult years, they flirted at each other shamelessly. She felt like she could forget everything that burden her mind every time he was near her.

Their conversation flowed smoothly and in twenty minutes, they had arrived at a breakfast café, _Petit Soleil._ Damon parked the car and went out and opened Elena's door, she felt weird, _good_ weird, about Damon's gentlemanly attitude.

They went inside, Damon kept his hand on the small of Elena's back, and a waitress in an Old French dress code pointed their booth.

The restaurant was cute. It was nice, with creamy yellow walls and little booths for two and for four inside it.

"Please call Marilyn when you're ready to order," the waitress said the took her leave.

"Order anything that you want, it's on me," Damon said as he flip the menu.

"As it should be," she muttered under her breath.

"I heard that, "he said without taking his eyes off from the menu.

She stuck her tongue out at him, "I know what I want. Let's call Marilyn."

Damon waved his hand and a blonde girl with glasses came with a note pad in her hand, "Bonjour! I'm Marilyn and I will be your waitress today."

"I want three medium sized vanilla waffles with vanilla ice cream and almond crunch on top, two blueberry scones and one strawberry scone, also a jasmine hot tea with honey, please," she said her orders.

"Two large sized chocolate waffles and two blueberry scones, also hot black coffee for me, please. Thanks, Marilyn."

The waitress left with a sweet smile for Damon which he didn't acknowledge.

"So... did you not eat dinner or something yesterday?" he asked in a straight face.

"Ugh, that is not a right way to talk to a lady, Mr. Salvatore. and I'll have you know, I did have my dinner with Caroline last night , we ordered Chinese but it wasn't that good," she pouted then crossed her arms on her chest, creating a major cleavage for Damon to see.

He cleared his throat slightly before looked away from Elena, with her cleavage on display, and said, "Please, forgive me, Miss Gilbert. That is not how my mother taught me as a true Southern Gentleman."

"Forgiven," she said, putting her hands on the table.

"So, how did it feel to be a college student? Even, yes I know, you haven't started yet."

"It's good, I guess. But I still feel weird. Mom's not here, dad's not making me breakfast, Kat's not enter my room without permission," she sighed.

"I know it's hard, Len. You gonna feel homesick at first, but trust me, you got nothing to worry about. I'll call you, I'll even come over to your dorm when you feel lonely," he reached for her hand and squeeze it.

She smiled gratefully, "Thanks, Damon. You always look out for me."

"That's what _bestest_ friends are for," he smiled back then two minutes later their food came.

* * *

They went to the park after that to feed the ducks. Elena thought it was lame but after she saw yellowish ducks on the lake in Central Park, her heart melted.

"Oh my gosh, they are so cute! Damon, look! Look at that smallest ones," she pointed at lake whilst dragging Damon closer to the edge.

"Here, give them this," Damon opened her hand and pour the duck foods on her palm.

She was spreading the duck food all over the lake as Damon took a blanket from his car. Elena did not notice he was missing because she was too focused on the cute little ducks. A few minutes later, the blue eyed man came back and unfold the white and green stripes blanket.

"Len, come here."

She looked up and grinned when she saw what he had done.

"Oh my, I'd never done a picnic before. Who would've thought that Damon Salvatore would be so thoughtful," she teased.

He pretended to glare at her, "Get in here already."

She walked toward him, put off her shoes and sat next to him, resting her back against the big tree.

"Tell me about what I missed when I'm gone," Damon asked.

She thought about what she was going to say for a minute, "A lot of things happened obviously. I got a sister, for one."

"And what is Katherine like? I haven't got a chance to meet her when I was in Mystic Falls."

"She was born on a Wednesday. I think that's why she loves the day so much. On Wednesday, she often goes to the Grill with her friends until 6 then calls me to pick her up. Sometimes, she took her friends to the house, asks me to make her chocolate chips cookies or order her a pepperoni pizza. She's nice when she wants to be, she can be stubborn as hell, but I love her all the same. She looks up to me, I think. She always asks me what I think about her outfit for the day. And I think she's also upset when I had to move away," she felt a tear rolled down her cheek.

Damon sprightly wiped her tear and smiled at her, "I know you miss her, it's okay to miss home, Elena."

She shook her head, "I don't wanna feel weak, if I start to cry then I won't be able to stop," she wiped her eyes furiously.

"You don't have to be strong all the time. You got me now. You got Caroline, you are not alone here, Len," he draped an arm around her and pulled her closer to his side.

She looked up at him and smiled, she felt his lips on her head as she sniffled.

* * *

Elena opened her door quietly since it was already 10.40 and she was afraid to woke Caroline up.

She tip toed inside her dark room when she heard, "'Lena?"

"Care? You haven't slept yet?"

"No, I was cold and I got into the cover while I'm texting with Bonnie," Caroline sat up and leaned her head on the headboard, "Where were you? I thought I heard you gone this morning."

"I did, I told you," she sat on the edge of her bed, taking off her shoes, "Damon took me out for breakfast and we went for a little sightseeing before he took me to the park then we fed the ducks, ate our lunch and he bought me cotton candy then we watched a movie at the theater. It was so much fun, you know. Be with Damon that I have missed for the past ten years," she smiled as she went through her day with Damon.

"'Lena?"

"Yeah," she changed into her tank top and her short before she went into the cover.

"Do you have a crush on Damon?"

"What? How could you think that? I'm with Matt, Care," she glared at her friend.

"Are you? Because right now Matt's in Duke and you told me that you guys are doing a long distance relationship thing, yet today you went out with a guy you claimed your _bestest_ friend. And from thy way you talked about him... I don't know... It sounded different from when you talk about Matt."

She sighed, "I..."

"Elena? If you can't be honest with me now then at least be honest to yourself."

The brunette girl looked up at the ceiling; trying to convince herself that Caroline was wrong.

Yes, she went out for a whole day with Damon.

Yes, she had so much fun with him more than she ever had with Matt.

And yes, today she never once thought about Matt.

She have not even texted him to ask him how he was doing after the move from Mystic Falls to Duke.

"Good night, 'Lena."

She heard Caroline's voice making her inner battle stopped. She couldn't think right now. Not when she felt so tired from her day with Damon, not when she missed her family like crazy.

She just prayed that she would never break Matt's heart in the end.

* * *

 **So, she starts to feel like she has feelings for Damon and neglects Matt.**

 **Be sure to keep reading to know more.**

 **Click the review button and tell me what you think about this one, please. Because I feel like Elena's feelings toward Damon is too fast. What do you guys think?**

 **Spot any grammatical errors and typos? I'm sorry for that.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I had finished this chapter yesterday, but the powers went out so I post this today!**

 **This is what happens when I get so many feedback from you guys :) thank you!**

 **Here you go.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

"Hello?"

" _Hey, babe. How are you? I'm sorry, I should've called sooner, but I'm calling you now,_ " Matt greeted her through the phone.

She sighed, "It's okay. I miss you, Matt. It's definitely different here than in Mystic Falls. How's Duke?"

She could almost see him smile in her mind, _"It's great here. The football program is awesome and I've already got my practice schedule. You're right, it's different here as well. I miss you too, 'Lena._ "

"You're not missing your breakfast, right? I'm not there to always remind you, Matt."

" _No,_ Mom. _I eat my breakfast even if it's only a granola bar,"_ he laughed on the other side, _" How's Caroline?"_

"She's fine. She's starting to get busy with her clubs. Oh, I think I'm going to join their design club. It's pretty cool."

" _I think you should. Interact with other people with the same interests and all_ ," she heard him chuckle.

She smiled, "I know. I gotta go, babe. My class starts in twenty. Talk to you later, okay? I love you, Matt."

" _Love you too, 'Lena. Say hi to Caroline for me_." He then disconnected the phone call.

Then, Elena put her phone in her nude colored shoulder bag, a gift from Bonnie for her 18th birthday months ago. She was out the door in a minute then locked it. Caroline had already left for her morning class at eight.

She was out the dorm building then went straight to the college building located only five minutes on foot. The tall, old buildings mesmerized her. Being a NYU student was her dream since she was in junior high. She had planned to go here with Caroline and Bonnie, and then graduated, and then maybe she could work for fashion magazine or be a designer, as she had always wanted to be.

She found her class eight minutes before the class started. She chose to sit in the second row and pulled out her notebook. People started to fill the class, the girls were all stylish and the guys were wearing at least one designer piece of clothing. She looked down at her dark washed jeans and her new blue blouse that she had bought from Macy's on Friday on her shopping trip with Caroline. She was nothing compared to other students. She sighed in defeat as she drown herself deeper in her insecurity.

"Hi, are these seats taken?"

A girl and a guy with blonde hair was standing next to her chair. The guy looked younger than eighteen and the girl looked very beautiful with her curly hair.

"No, not at all," she smiled.

"I'm Liv and this is Luke, my twin brother," Liv sat next to her left whilst her twin sat on her right.

"We both in the fashion designer program," Luke said.

"I'm Elena. I'm also at the same program as you."

"Ugh, look at those obnoxious people, marching in their designer clothes like they own the world," Liv muttered under her breath but loud enough for Elena to hear it.

"Yeah, I take it that some of them are taking the same major as we are and they thought that by wearing those expensive things would make their grade higher," Elena responded.

"Well, you gotta blend in somehow, right?" Luke jumped in the hushed conversation.

"Yeah, right. Like being the superior ones is the only way to blend in," Liv stuck her tongue out to her twin. Elena shook her head with a low chuckle as a respond to her new friends.

French 101 turned out to be a fun class with a middle aged professor who came from all the way from France. Elena was happy enough to know Liv and Luke so they decided to have lunch together at the café near the building.

"I got my next period in an hour, you Elena?" asked Luke.

"In two hours. I think I'm gonna hang out with Damon today," she said absentmindedly.

"Oh, who's Damon?" Liv asked as she bite her turkey sandwich.

"A friend," she answered, she couldn't hide her blush when she was talking about Damon.

"Uhuh... sure he is," Liv winked.

"I can never understand girls talking about boys. Why don't you guys just admit that he is your boyfriend or not," Luke grimaced.

"That's because he is not my boyfriend. Matt is my boyfriend and he's going to Duke," Elena said exasperatedly.

Liv laughed, "Whatever you say, Elena."

She pouted slightly then snatched her phone from her bag to text Damon to let him know that she was coming to the restaurant. Damon had already gave her the address days before.

Thirty minutes later, Elena found herself face to face with a two-story elegant yet cozy restaurant. _Salvatore's_. She let her feet carry her inside. Inside of the _Salvatore's_ was beautiful, white and warm chocolate dominated the room and there was a toilet sign at the back. It had four booths for six people, four booths for four, and six booths for two. The restaurant was pretty crowded since it was lunch hour. She took a minute to admire the old Italian concept of the restaurant, then she went straight to the open bar.

"Can I get a lemon tea, please? Less ice," she told the bartender.

Her order came in a minute, she sipped her tea as she wait for Damon.

Fifteen minutes has passed and there was no sign of Damon.

"Excuse me, but is Damon here?" she asked a bartender with a 'Ric' name tag on his shirt.

"He's in his office on second floor. Who am I talking to?"

"Oh, I'm Elena," she extended her hand then shook the bartender's hand, "I've texted Damon about coming in here to see him. Can I go to the office?"

"He had a guest arrived half an hour ago, she might have left now. You can just go to the second floor, turn left then go inside the room with 'Boss' on the door," he winked.

Ric seemed nice with a clean cut sandy hair and a friendly smile. She smiled back, "Thanks, Ric."

She went to the direction Ric had told her and knock on Damon's door. Before she could do it, though, she heard a soft sigh, loud enough to be heard by her on the other side of the door, belonged to a girl from his office. She frowned and she decided to build up her courage and knock.

Once.

Twice.

The third time she knock, Damon's throaty voice came, "Come in."

She let herself in and she was not exactly prepared for the sight in front of her. Damon was standing next to his desk, with his button on his jeans was left open and his dark t-shirt have two buttons undone, with a brunette with long legs and lanky arms in his arms. Elena knew all about sex hair, and she had one on her head right now. Her long curly hair was a mess as a result of someone had run their fingers through her hair repeatedly.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked in a cold tone. She didn't know but she felt an anger run though her blood.

"No. Not at all. Got your message but Jessica here came unexpectedly," he looked down at _Jessica_ and she grinned sweetly.

"I just wanted to surprise you on your first day back here," Elena cringed slightly hearing her voice. Even her voice sounded soft and girly.

"Jess, meet Elena, the one I told you about. Len, meet Jessica, my girlfriend."

Elena stood frozen for a minute. Damon had never said anything about having a girlfriend. It wasn't that she felt jealous, but she felt lied to. Damon had always told her everything since they were little.

Jessica, with her perfect French manicure hands, reached out to shake Elena's who had her long fingers painted teal color, "I've heard so much about you from Damon, Elena. I heard you go to NYU as well. I'm taking pre-med there. I'm on my third year now."

It took Elena a few seconds to broke out from her reverie then shook her hand, "Well, I haven't heard a thing about you from _Damon_. But I'm sure you're a perfect girl for him, give him surprise and all that," she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

Damon looked at her disapprovingly, "Jess, I'll call you later, okay?"

Jessica nodded in understanding then stood on her toes to kiss his pink lips, "Okay, see you, hun," she went to Elena then hug her as if they already knew each other for a long time, "Nice to meet you, Elena."

She spared her a small smile then in a second the brunette girl was out the door.

"What was that?" Damon asked, his forehead made a deep frown.

"You tell me. You never once told me that you have special someone in your life," she half yelled at him, throwing her shoulder bag on the black leather sofa in front of his desk.

"Yes, that's because we were on a break. She came to apologize to me for something that happened – It's none of your business, Elena," Damon sighed as he run his fingers through his dark locks.

Her jaw dropped. Since when Damon's business was not Elena's as well?

She looked at him straight in the eyes, "You're right it's not," she picked up her bag then grabbed the door handle and opened it.

She was outside of his office but stood still in the hallway to regain her composure.

"Elena, wait!" Damon was behind her, holding onto her arm, "Please, listen to me."

"What?" she turned around to face him, her face was unreadable. "Since when do we keep secrets from each other, Damon? Yes, we haven't been in contact for a long time, but in our time apart I still consider you one of my best friends. I still thought about you a lot, about how you were doing, about your family. We have never kept a secret from each other. I know all about you and you me," she sighed. _Since when you changed and keep secrets from me_?, she added inside.

"I'm sorry, I just – "

"I have to go now. I'll talk to you later," she said in a straight tone then leave him alone in the hallway.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home," Katherine yelled as she drop her backpack on the floor next to the stairs.

"Hey, Bug. Do you want some snack?" Miranda offered as she prepare for her meatball spaghetti for dinner.

"No, thanks. I got a project with Stefan next door. I'll be back for dinner though."

She went out to the door then walked to the Salvatore's front door. She rang a bell before Agatha open it for her.

"Hi, Kat, Stefan is waiting for you in the patio. I'll make ice tea for you guys."

Agatha went to the kitchen, "Thanks, Mrs. Salvatore."

Katherine walked ahead to the patio where she found Stefan with his head buried in a book.

"Hey, dork face," she greeted him and sat in front of him. "Just so you know, I chose you to be my science partner because you live the closest to me, not because I want to, okay?"

He hummed his answer then flip his book.

The ten year old brunette huffed, "Did you not listen to me?"

"I did, I just don't want to acknowledge it," Stefan put his book down on the table then looked straight at her.

"Ugh, you are so annoying. Just because our brother and sister are best friends doesn't mean I want to be friends with you..." she kept talking and talking even though he didn't listen to her.

Katherine knew she was being mean to the new kid. But that was because he always drown in books and never see eye to eye with her and all of the kids from school. He was the quiet kid since he came to the school a week ago, he had no friends and he never even made an effort to make one.

"He's not my brother."

"... I don't even want – what did you just say?" Katherine stopped her rambling abruptly.

He sighed, "Damon Salvatore is not my brother. He's my _step_ brother."

"Huh..." For the first time in front of the new kid, she was speechless.

"Cat got your tongue?" Stefan smirked.

"How could he be your step brother?" Katherine ignored his last remark.

"You haven't been around for a long time, have you?" he mused.

"Your family had already moved when I was born."

"They're not my biological family," he told her.

They were quiet for a moment before Agatha came out and brought them snack, "Here you go, kids. Holler if you need anything," she dropped a kiss to Stefan's head before she left.

Katherine was getting more curious, "So you were adopted?"

"Are you always this nosy?" Stefan asked in annoyance.

"Were you?" she cornered.

He let out a big sigh, "No, I'm not. Damon and I are _literally_ brothers from another mother."

* * *

 **Don't forget to leave me your thoughts for faster updates :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Was supposed to post this a week ago, then I was sick, still am, and it took me four days to wrote this. I am so sorry for the delay.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

"It has only been a week and I'm ready to commit suicide; probably by choking myself to death with books," Caroline huffed as she threw herself on her bed and took off her glasses.

On the other side of the room, Elena was typing haphazardly in her bed on her laptop with her hair on a loose bun and her reaction regarding what Caroline had said was only a weak nod.

"Are you even listening to me?" the blonde girl asked in annoyance.

"Sorry. This assignment should be done in," she looked at her watch on her left hand, "... twenty minutes. We'll talk then."

Caroline nodded solemnly and walked over to her desk to retrieve her toiletries, "Meanwhile, I'm taking a shower to wash the smell of library before it's crowded."

She then left her brunette friend alone with her assignment.

Elena was still typing without acknowledging her friend disappearance to the shared bathroom. Her French 101 assignment was taking a toll on her. She could do it yesterday. Or the day before yesterday. However, a certain friend, with hypnotizing blue eyes and midnight locks was distracting her. He kept calling her at least twenty one times a day; yep, she counted.

Damon had never been one to give up and turned down a challenge. She knew that. She knew that a lot about him.

She stopped typing suddenly when her phone rang for the seventeenth times today. She did not have to look at the screen to know who was calling her. She let out a tired sigh and rejected the phone call. She opened her message icon and searched for her _bestest_ friend's name.

She decided to text him because, one, she didn't have time to talk to him now, thanks to the assignment she had not finished because of _Damon_ , and two, because she just simply still upset with him and no talking policy was what she always did when she's upset with someone.

 ** _To: Bestest Friend_**

 _Do not call me. I am busy._

It did not take long for Damon to reply her hate text.

 ** _From: Bestest Friend_**

 _So_ _you_ are _alive! Starting to think you may be dead or something_.

Elena rolled her eyes and went to her contacts to change Damon's name. She deleted 'Bestest Friend' and changed it to 'Asshole Damon.' After she changed it, a chime came from her phone; she frowned.

 ** _From: Asshole Damon_**

 _And pick up when I call!_

 ** _To:_ _Asshole Damon_**

 _Did you not read my first message? I AM BUSY._

 ** _From: Asshole Damon_**

 _NOW STOP WITH YOUR ATTITUDE, MISSY. I DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN YOU USE ALL CAPS WHEN YOU ARE TEXTING ME._

Before she had a chance to reply to his all caps text, her phone rang and expectedly _, Asshole Damon is calling..._

She punched her ignore button then switched her iPhone to silent mode before she put the phone on her bedside drawer.

She took a deep breath before she started typing again.

Caroline was back in the room after her fifteen minutes shower when Elena yelled and fist bumped into the air, "Finished! My very first finished assignment of the semester. You proud of me yet?" she fluttered her long lashes to her best friend.

"I've done mine three days ago. I'm working on my projects for finals now," Caroline waved her hand nonchalantly as she apply her hair lotion.

" _Whatevs_ ," Elena saved the file on her laptop before send the assignment to her professor. She closed the intimidating object then put it far away from her, "So, I'm free now. Want to grab some dinner?"

"Sure. I'm in a mood for Mexican. Should we eat out?"

"Yeah, I'm dying slowly from living in this small cubicle every day," Elena went to grab her black zip up jacket and pocketed her twenty bucks.

"Uh... it is kind of your fault. Speaking of which, what happened? You've been stuck inside for a week at least, only went out for classes," Caroline asked as she put on her light green cardigan.

She was quiet for a minute before she said, "It's Damon. He rather... lied to me. Well, not really, lie, but he hid something, and we always, _always_ share everything since we were kids. I just feel weird that he's been hiding something from me, you know?"

They went out of the room and jogged downstairs, "Yeah? What'd he lie about?"

"Jessica," she felt bitterness in her tongue, "his _girlfriend_."

Caroline's eyes widened then turned to look at her best friend, "He has a girlfriend?"

"My reaction exactly," Elena mumbled.

"Ugh, just when I thought he was edible to... you know..."

"What?"

"Bonnie and I thought you have a crush on him. I told you before, right? And then you dropped the bomb about Jessica and my dream of planning yours and Damon's wedding is gone," she sighed weakly.

"What? Caroline, no. I do not have any crush on anyone. I am with Matt. Still remember Matt, right? Tall, blond, blue eyes, goes to Duke; my boyfriend," Elena exclaimed as they went into the line of Mexican food truck across their dorm.

"Yeah, sure, until one of you caves and you went down."

"Now you're just being mean. Come on, be positive for me. I love Matt, he's – "

"Kind, smart, thoughtful, yada yada yada. I know, 'Lena. It's just that... I don't see you with Matt, okay? I've told you before, since you guys first went out. Yes, I encouraged you to say yes to him years ago but I'd never think that you guys would go this far," Caroline rambled as they wait for their names to be called.

"Why?" she was actually tired of hearing Caroline's complains but she also couldn't help to wonder what made her best friend thought like that.

"He's safe, for one. You do not work with safe choices. You go here, to New York, even when your parents reluctantly let you. You like fashion, which kind of identifies with girly girl, yet when we were in junior high and in high school, you loved rock climbing, camping and hiking; but still you do it with grace, and no, I am not being a sexist or stereotyping here. You're adventurous, 'Lena. You don't let people dictate you. While Matt; he is your safety net. I'm sure you can take care of yourself, that is why you chose Matt, because you need someone who can _never_ defy you. You're a dominant. You need someone who _could_ defy you , fight you, then you feel satisfied. Admit it; Damon does it to you. He calls you out, he argues with you, while yes, it irritates you, but you love it anyway" she raised her forefinger directly on Elena's face.

She slightly widened her eyes then as if she was compelled, she nodded. Because she knew Caroline was right.

* * *

Saturday morning came around and Elena felt someone was shaking her shoulder.

"I gotta go to the gym, "Caroline whispered to her which earn Elena's yawn, "be back in an hour. Bye, hun."

She heard the blonde-haired woman closed the door and she sat up, leaning against her headboard her head turned to her bedside table and she instantly knew that it was already eight in the morning. She stretched her muscle a bit before she took her phone from where she had put it last night.

There were fifteen missed calls from, the one and only, Damon Salvatore, two texts from Liv, and a text from Katherine. She replied to her sister first saying that she sure could use her old laptop for her assignment for school, then she went to reply Liv's text with a yes to lunch together at a restaurant three blocks from her campus.

In addition, she built up courage to call Damon back. She took a deep breath before she punch the green button on her phone screen.

She waited exactly three rings before she knew someone on the other side of the line pick up, _"Hi, Elena. Good morning!"_

She frowned when she heard a woman's cheery voice through the phone, "morning. Is this... Jessica?"

" _Yes. Oh, you recognize my voice already,"_ she said gleefully, _"I'm pretty sure you call for Damon, but he's still sleeping. I'll tell him when he wakes up, okay?"_

"Yeah, sure, thanks. You sleep over?" she couldn't help but curious.

" _Yep. He made me dinner last night and it went so late so I decided to sleep here. Oh, do you want to have lunch with us? At the_ Salvatore's _today?"_

She felt like she's going to throw up. _She dares to ask me to lunch with her?_

"I'm sorry, but I already have a plan for lunch today."

The thing is, she was not feeling a bit sorry. She silently thanking Liv for asked her out to lunch.

" _Oh,"_ she sounded... disappointed? _"It's okay. How about dinner? I would like to get to know someone who is very close to Damon. Who knows_ _,_ _maybe next week we'll go shopping together."_

"A friend asked me already. Sorry," she lied.

She knew she was being mean but she couldn't help it. Jessica was the girl who put her relationship with Damon strained.

" _Oh... is that someone special?"_ she teased.

"A friend, no big deal. Uh, gotta go now. Nice talking to you, Jessica."

She hung up before Jessica had time to reply. She couldn't believe her luck. Today was starting in a very bad way.

* * *

"So, this restaurant serves the best Italian food in New York, I heard. Luke hates Italian so I got you stuck with me for the rest of the day."

Liv was driving in her dark blue Prius and Elena was bobbing her head up and down to Silénto's Whip/Nae Nae. They were cruising down to the restaurant Liv would not shut up about. She knocked on Elena's room five minutes before she was supposed to pick her up, and she was practically got strangled by Caroline's nonstop chatting for twenty minutes, talking about the latest young adults novels.

"Yeah, be grateful that I love Italian," Elena said.

"I am. You know, this restaurant had opened their branches and I bet the owner is filthy rich. Also, they opened up their first restaurant three – "

"Okay, you need to stop obsessing over that restaurant, I'm already here," Elena giggled.

Liv was working on her parallel parking when Elena's phone rang and the screen showed Damon's name. She sighed as she got out of the car.

"This is it. _Salvatore's_ "

She looked up and she was faced with the same Salvatore's she had come to a week ago. Her eyes widened and her breath shortened.

"Can we not eat here?"

"What?" she frowned, "Why not? You just said that you love Italian."

"It's not the food..."

"So?"

She mustered up her courage then shook her head to get over her anxiety and said, "Nothing. Let's just go in."

Liv blinked before they went inside and she told her reservation to the maître'd.

She pointed to the side of the open bar and they went to the direction. Elena sat on her chair and Liv sat in front of her. The waiter came and gave them the menus, gave them some time to order.

"I think pasta sounds great," Liv said as she flip her menu.

On the other hand, Elena did not even touch hers. She looked right and left for Damon and Jessica. She did not want to face them now. Not yet. She still had a little bit of anger inside her for Damon who had hid something from her.

"Elena?"

She looked up instantly to find Ric standing beside her.

"Hi, Ric. Nice to see you again," she smiled, "This is my friend, Liv. Liv, this is Ric, the most talented bartender here," she winked at her new friend.

They shook hands and shared a smile, "Damon's here, by the way. Want me to call him?"

"Oh, no. Not this time. I'll call him if I want to see him. Thanks, though."

"Okay, I'll leave you ladies alone now. Nice to meet you, Liv."

Ric left them as the waiter came and they said their orders. Elena wasn't in the mood for eating so she just asked for garlic bread and ice tea.

"Who was that cutie?" Liv asked, her eyes shone.

"'That cutie' was Ric, probably six or seven years our senior, so back off, okay?"

"Oh," she pouted, "but he's cute."

Elena rolled her eyes and chuckled for her friend's behavior.

"Oh, that reminds me. Who is Damon? The same Damon you talked about few days ago?"

"Yep, one and only."

"Who's he anyway?"

Elena then told Liv about her childhood best friend and how now his family owned this restaurant and two other branches. She left the part where Damon lied to her though, she felt if she talked about it, she would just blow up by calling Damon and yell at him here and now.

"Oh my gosh, you could just say that before we leave," she amused.

"I didn't know we would go here, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. You're right," she nodded.

They were talking about school when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Hey, Elena."

She turned around to find, none other, Jessica.

She raised her eyebrows, "Hi... Jess."

"I thought you were just making excuses to pass my offer. Turns out you _do_ have lunch plan. In _Salvatore's_ nonetheless. It's such a coincidence," she gushed as she went to hug Elena.

The brown-haired woman let go as if Jessica's body was made of fire, "I know. This is my friend, Liv. Liv, it's Jessica."

Liv, who sensed Elena's hostility, went to shake Jessica's perfect hand as she said, "Liv. I'm sure you have a pleasure meeting me. Sorry, can't say the same."

Elena was trying her hardest not to laugh by watching Jessica's expression, "So, you order already?"

"Oh, I'm done actually. Damon made PB&J and we ate upstairs. We were planning to go to the bookstore since I need new books for my new classes. He's upstairs cleaning up, you can wait for him," she said, smiling.

"Yeah, sure," Elena responded as she sat on her chair.

Unexpectedly, Jessica pulled up a chair and sat on their table. Liv was starting to form her murderous look, while Elena pursed her lips in annoyance.

"What're you guys having?"

She was making small talk when Damon's voice boomed as he walking toward the table, "Who's your friend, babe?"

Elena turned her head, found Damon clad in dark green Henley shirt and dark washed jeans, "Hey there, Damon."

* * *

 **Don't worry I feel the same way as you guys, I, too, want to strangle Jessica and get her out of the picture. Oh, and the way DE texting... it's pretty cute don't you think?**

 **Please be a dear and leave me your review would ya? Constructive comments are welcomed.**

 **See you next chapter!**

 **PS: Who else in love with Whip/Nae Nae?!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

" _Hey there, Damon."_

"Len?" he took a step closer until he could her face clearly.

Elena might keep her outside poise and steady but inside, there was a roar hiding in her, wanting Damon to explain and wanting him to apologize. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Liv, with her jaw hanging open as she kept staring at Damon, his blue eyes precisely.

Jessica stood and hug Damon's muscle arm as she smiled up at him, "What a surprise, right? I told you she turned down my invitation yet she's here all on her will."

Damon was now standing next to their table and Elena could smell his fresh lime aftershave.

"You eaten yet?" Damon asked, he looked down at Elena with an expression she couldn't make out.

"Nope, waiting for my meal," she replied as if the past week never happened, "This is Liv, my friend. Liv, this is Damon."

Liv threw a look at Elena before she stretched her hand to shake Damon, "I'm Liv. Elena told me... things about you before."

"Good to meet you, Miss Liv," he bent down to kiss her knuckles, "all good things I hope."

Liv answered it with a mumble as the waiter came with their foods. He placed the foods and drinks on the table, nodded at Damon then left.

"We can wait for Elena to finished, and then maybe we can hang out together," Jessica offered with a grin on her face.

Liv had her face down on her spaghetti, ignoring the fact that her friend was having horrible feelings inside because of the chatty soon-to-be doctor.

"It's fine, Jess. I got plans with Liv and her twins later. I'm sure Damon wants to spend the Saturday with you only," Elena faked a smile.

Before both Damon and Jessica answered, she took a bite of her garlic bread to dismiss them.

"Well, okay then. Can we go now, baby?" Jessica asked Damon as she fluttered her eyelashes.

Damon, with his eyes still focused on his bestest friend, nodded, then in two minutes they were gone out of the restaurant.

Liv wiped the sauce off her corner of the mouth then demanded, "Now would you tell me what the hell was that?"

* * *

Agatha was bringing a tray of two-iced coffee jelly with two plates of her autumn salads to the patio. Miranda was waiting as she took in her surroundings. Nothing have changed much around the Salvatore household and she loved it.

"I love that you keep those rose bushes," Miranda commented as her friend put the tray on the table in front of them.

"I'd always loved them," she sighed, "it feels so nice to finally have time to talk to my best friend. You know there was no one like you in New York."

"I know, it's a good thing I told Gray that I need groceries and Kat... well, doing what ten years old always does," she chuckled, "It's weird that the time flies so fast."

They feel in silence as they reminisce about their pasts. Agatha and Miranda was much like Damon and Elena. They were inseparable. They shared recipes, stories, even their children sometimes called them 'Mom.' When Agatha left for New York with her family, Miranda was moping and crying. She just couldn't let her best friend go, but she knew she had to. Just like Damon and Elena, they'd met three years ago when the Salvatores moved from Denver, and they got a long pretty quickly.

"Oh, by the way, where's Stefan?"

"He's in the soccer field. I told him to be more active in making friends, but I guess he's much more comfortable befriended with books and play chess."

"So, he's a classic nerd. Never pegged him as a loner. You and Giuseppe were not as I remembered, and Damon could never stay in a chair for more than ten minutes, especially with Elena sat beside him," Miranda laughed, thinking about old times.

What she didn't realize is that Agatha had her face on unreadable mode on when she talked about Stefan and Giuseppe. It had been a long time since she saw him prick of a husband.

"No, Damon couldn't stay still. Still is, anyway. I think that's why he wanted to help me with the new restaurant branch we had just opened few months ago." Agatha said carefully, trying to change the subject.

"Can't Giuseppe handle it? I mean, I know that he's busy with all journalist things but he could have help you with family business, right?"

"He's... away. At the moment."

Miranda turned to look at her Italian friend, "Away? Where? When he will be back?"

When it came to curiosity, just like Katherine and Elena, Miranda couldn't help it.

"Miranda," Agatha turned to look at her friend's face, "We've been separated for more than eight years now."

* * *

Elena was ready for bed when Liv dropped her off fifteen minutes ago. She stayed outside for a while, caught up with her friends who lived in a same floor as her. Then, she made way to her room, as she unlocked her door, there was a feminine scream coming from inside.

She felt alert immediately. Her thoughts were running over Caroline. What if Caroline was inside and there was something happening to her right now? What if there was a burglar and Caroline fend for herself alone right now? She literally kicked her door opened as she yelled, "Care!"

The scene in front of her was Caroline, underneath a lean brown-skinned man, clad only in her bra and her undone jeans. She was screaming bloody murder when she saw the door opened and the person was rolling down on the floor, an impact from Caroline kicked him off the bed.

"Elena, what the hell?!" she yelled at her friend who was just standing frozen beside the door.

"I thought... you were... the burglar..." she laughed hysterically after she realized what just happened.

Caroline was trying to get laid with the lean man she saw on top of her.

"I'm sorry I thought – "she giggled as her hand holding her stomach, "I thought we were being robbed and you're here," she couldn't contain her laughter, "trying to get laid."

"Yes, and you ruin my chance," she pouted as she lend a hand to the stranger on the floor. "This is Jesse, a chemist major student," she introduced the person to Elena as he trying to put his clothes back on.

"Hi, I'm Elena, her roommate," she smiled happily, as she shook his hand.

"Jesse. I'm sorry we meet in this situation," he said sheepishly.

"Oh, no, it's fine. It has been a long time since I saw Caroline in action," she winked at her friend.

He laughed then turned to talk to Caroline, "I guess I see you later?"

Caroline nodded then kissed him on the cheek and he was out the door in record time.

"Great, not only I don't have actions tonight, I also lost my chance to have him as my boyfriend by the end of next week," Caroline put on her tank top and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Well, if I told you about my day, would it make you feel better?" Elena took off her jacket and her jeans then replaced them with shorts short.

Caroline nodded solemnly then everything was pouring out from Elena's mouth. From where she got picked up by Liv, then when Jessica approached her and Damon came, until Liv told her to just kill Jessica, if the law allows, which will never happen.

"... I mean yes I know that he likes her, or even loves her, but – "

Her rambling was interrupted by knocking on the door; she went to open it as she continued to complain, "I feel like she's a farce, you know, only nice in front of him."

She was surprise to see the man she had been talking about standing i front of her. He was still wearing the same clothes and the same jeans, but different facial expression, like he was embarrassed to have heard what she had been saying.

"Damon," she blinked.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked politely then nod to Caroline.

Elena turned her head to excuse herself from her best friend then followed him outside her room.

"What's up?"

"Can we have some dinner first? I'm starving."

"Sure, there's Mexican food truck downstairs," she responded as she went inside to grab her money and her cardigan and changed into her yoga pants, ignoring Caroline's questions.

When she came back, Damon looked like he was debating something inside, "Ready?" she asked.

"We're going to eat from food trucks?" Damon jogged downstairs, following Elena.

"Yeah, it's fast and yummy," she responded, still keeping her mask on.

They got to the food truck, _Satisfecho_ , and got served immediately since it was already ate for dinnertime anyway, "What do you want to eat?"

Damon looked a little lost looking at the menus on the board, "what sounds good?"

Elena was quiet for a second, "well I love their tacos, especially _pollo asado_. Their burritos are awesome, and also I really like their guac sauce," she answered passionately. When it came to food, Elena was the master.

"Okay," he looked hesitate, "I'll try the _pollo asado_."

She nodded then turned to Miguel, the cook, " _Hola_ Miguel, I'd like a _pollo asado_ and two cokes, please," she smiled.

"Right away, Miss Elena," Miguel smiled back excitedly. It had been known that Miguel had a thing for Caroline since the first time they came here and he was always nice to her.

Their orders came not too long after they waited and Elena led him to the park bench not too far from her dorm.

"Again, what's up?" Elena asked as soon as he finished his food, "I really need to work on my assignments."

"I'm sorry," he blurted out immediately, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jessica, I'm sorry I didn't have time to come here sooner and instead I called you numerous times and I probably upset you more, I'm so sorry for letting you texted me, I know you hate texting, I'm so sorry for everything, Len."

She looked at him sharply, making sure he knew that she was still upset, "You were a jerk. Still are."

"What do you want me to do? Beg for your forgiveness and kiss your feet?"

She knew that he seriously do that if she asked him to.

"No, ew. I don't want anyone to kisses my feet," she shuddered.

"So? What it takes for you to forgive me?"

"Well, you still owe me nine days of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also it takes three movies now for me to forgive you. I've been dying to see the new _The Maze Runner_ movie, _Hotel Transylvania 2_ , and _Everest_."

"Deal. So deal," he sighed in relief because he had just gotten his best friend back.

She smiled then put her head on his shoulder, "From now on, tell me everything, okay? Tell me your problems, tell me who or what makes you happy, tell me your burdens and what makes your panties in a bunch; everything. You're my bestest friend, Damon, and I care about you, so much."

She felt his head on top of hers, "Promise. I missed you when we weren't talking you know?"

She put her hand over her chest, "I feel flattered," she said dramatically, "I'm happy you still found time to miss me even when Jessica's around."

He turned to look at her, "You know she's a nice person, you have to get to know her, I'd like you to."

"No thanks," she said.

"Please, "he gave her his lashes flutter and those big blue eyes melted her heart, "For me."

"Ugh, fine," she grumbled, "One shopping trip, and I'll bring Liv and Caroline too."

* * *

"Please remind me not to look at your French homework next time so that I don't have to accompany you for a shopping trip. With Jessica nonetheless." Liv groaned when the three girls got to the mall.

"It'll be just two hours, okay? We got a free period and I promised Damon to do this," Elena exclaimed.

"Yes, _you_ promised Damon. We got nothing to do with this," Caroline shot.

"But what are friends are for, right, Care?" Elena fluttered her mascara coated lashes.

She mumbled something about scratch her eyes out because she missed time to study date at the library with Jesse.

"Now where is she?" Elena asked herself.

Her brown orbs scanned Bath and Body Works, then Guess outlet, to the food court in the corner. Damon had given her his girlfriend's number, she had invited her to shopping, and she suggested that they would meet at the food court on third floor.

"Don't tell me she's not here yet," Liv whined, "I hate waiting."

"Let me text her first." Elena's fingers gracefully punched buttons on her touch screen and sent the text.

"Is that her? She is brunette with long legs and manicure hands," Caroline pointed at the direction next to the fountain.

"Nope. Not her."

Suddenly Liv whispered but loud enough for many people around them to hear, "There she is!"

"Where?" Elena saw her finally... but with her arms wrapped around a guy sweetly. "Guys, that is not Damon, is it?"

"Oh my gosh, she's cheating on Damon!" Caroline screeched.

* * *

 **Drop me a review and tell me your thoughts! Oh, have you watched those three movies I mentioned above? Let me know!**

 **See you next chapter! And happy weekend!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Introducing new characters in this story!**

 **One question, have you ever read Girl Online by Zoe Sugg a.k.a Zoella, the famous British youtuber? I have some references that I take from it. Not much, but if you ever read it, you'd know ;) I recommend the book, by the way. It's a coming of age novel, and it fits teenager perfectly.**

 **Now onto the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

* * *

After seeing Jessica, with her arms wrapped lovingly around another guy, the three freshman girls decided to spend their free period with a frozen yoghurt outside the mall. Elena had texted Jessica that they would not be able to hang out today because Liv's twin had called informing her he was sick and as a good friend, Elena and Caroline tagged along, but of course, it was a lie, though Luke did call Liv to ask her where she was.

"So, what are you going to tell Damon?" Liv asked directly as soon as they sat their bum on the pink booth with their froyo orders.

Elena sighed, suddenly remember about what had happened earlier and lose her appetite for her favorite dessert, "Don't remind me. I don't even know that was Jessica or not."

"Oh, come on, that was Jessica," Liv exclaimed, "I've met her before, remember? Besides, who would wear that hideous skirt so short and black bralette in the beginning of the fall? And did I mention she did not wearing a jacket. What, she want to catch hypothermia or something?"

"Yeah, 'Lena. I've seen her pictures too, and I think it was her," Caroline added.

She was torn inside. How could she tell Damon that his loving girlfriend had cheated on him?

"I don't want to upset him. Things have been going so fine between us. I don't want him to think that I spy on his girlfriend to find her faults."

"Yes, but do you want Damon to be on the dark side while Jessica can play with two guys at the same time?" Caroline said logically.

Damon would get hurt. That was one thing for sure and she didn't want him to feel it. He had been her rock when they were kids, and he had been someone who was very close to her when he was back to Mystic Falls and now in New York. As his best friend, she was not going to let him be betrayed by some girl, but she also did not want to make him doubt their friendship.

"Can we not talk about this now?" Elena let out a soft sigh, "There's too much going on in my mind right now. Can we just get the yoghurt to go and go back to campus?"

Both blondes took a look at each other for a second before nodding their heads and walked toward the door.

* * *

" _Hi, baby, I miss you so much. The house has been different since you have been away. How are you? Does it feel go_ _o_ _d to be in New York? Got settled okay?"_ Miranda greeted her eldest daughter through the phone.

"Miss you too, Mom. I'm okay, it's different but okay. New York's a big city so I could always find distractions when I'm missing you guys back home."

She then did whatever girls talk about to their mothers. She told her about her school subjects and how her design professor liked her designs of fur coats and winter coats, she told her about Liv and Luke, and she shared about her and Damon's fight.

" _I'm glad it's okay now between you t_ _wo_ _, you'd hate to lose him as your best friend,"_ Miranda said cheerfully.

"I know, mom. How are Dad and Kat?"

" _Your_ _D_ _ad's making Super Special Saturday breakfast right now, and you know your sister, she sleeps in in the weekend,"_ Miranda let out a hearty laugh, _"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, your G-ma and Papa are coming to visit you today, would that be okay? They will be in New York until Sunday and they will fly back to arrange the Wilson's wedding in New Jersey on Monday, and they missed you so bad. I gave them your number yesterday."_

"Yeah, I miss them too. Fortunately, Liv had cancelled our group study since she and Luke have to go home this weekend," Elena informed her mother as she took her toiletries, "Anyway, just text me their phone number, Mom. I need a shower right now, Care said I smell worst than four frat guys after football match, and you know that's not true, right? I hate when she brings up scents," she grumbled.

Miranda laughed at her daughter comments, _"I know you're not, sweetie. I love you, okay. You'll come home on Thanksgiving, right?"_

"Sure, Mom, I checked out airplane airfares already, but I think road trip with Care would be fun."

" _Just tell me beforehand, okay? I don't want the two of you road tripping for God knows how long."_

"Okay, okay," she smiled, "Talk to you later, mom. I love you, and give dad and Kat kisses for me." she laughed then hang up.

A second later, Caroline came in and by the look on her face, she was ready to berate Elena for not throw herself in the shower already.

"I know, I know, I'm going!" Elena yelled as she let her feet drag her to the shared bathroom.

* * *

"G-ma!" Elena shouted when she caught a glimpse of her beloved grandparents.

She had called them earlier, asking them to meet her at _Connie's_ , Asian food restaurant, and they agreed wholeheartedly. Elena was very close to her grandparents. They had taken care of her when her parents went away for two weeks for their second honeymoon when Elena was just a little seven-year-old girl.

They informed her that a journalist would come to interview them to ask some questions regarding their successful wedding organizer business. Elena did not mind though, as long as she got to meet her grandparents that she'd miss so much.

Isobel and John Gilbert were the kind of people you would feel comfortable to talk to as soon as you meet them. They had this warm and open affections that seems to never worn out. Isobel came from Bulgaria and she spoke fluently in English, French and of course, Bulgarian. John, her father's father, came from Georgia, and he still had his Southern accent when he spoke. Elena thought that because of their friendliness, their business was so successful even after thirteen years and their flourishing marriage that had lasted forty-five years, compelled people to choose them as their wedding organizer and their role model for a happy marriage.

"Elena, darling," she enveloped the brunette with a warm hug that lasted more than fifteen seconds, "how is it possible that you've grown more beautiful since the last time I saw you?"

"You are one exaggerative old lady, G-ma," she teased as she slid into the booth, "where's Papa?"

"He's in the bathroom, we have ordered sushi for me and your Papa, and I know you like Ramen noodle, so I chose that for you. So, how are you? With that look on your face I guess that college life has treated you right."

"I am great; college can be a pain in the bum, but okay. I've met new people, learning new things about fashion and I really like it, G-ma," she spoke passionately, "Oh, and I met Damon again! Do you remember Damon, right? My childhood best friend who moved away from Mystic Falls ten years ago?"

Isobel's face graced with wrinkled here and there but she managed to look five years younger than her real age. She stopped to think for a second, "The cute little blue eyed boy from next door?"

"That's the one. His family owns that Italian restaurant now," she sighed. Whenever she talk about, or even think about, Damon she had this pride surged through her for her best friend.

"Oh, that is so great, I love Italians, and you have to take me there someday, dear, promise me."

She laughed, "I promise, G-ma," her gaze then caught a familiar face that she had missed, "Papa!"

The grey-haired man with his white t-shirt and a black jacket smiled from ear to ear as he made way to his table with two beautiful women waiting for him. Elena immediately stood up, waiting for the hug she had yet to receive.

"My little bug," John was never one to disappoint, he took her granddaughter in a loving embrace, "I have missed you so much, my child. Hope this little old lady didn't talk too much."

Isobel gave him a warning look before smiled affectionately at Elena. John and the doe-eyed girl took their seats.

"You doing okay, 'Lena? New York is very different than Mystic Falls," John said.

"Yep, people always say that, but I'm fine, Papa. I have Caroline here with me, and Damon is also lives in New York."

"Damon? As in Damon Salvatore? The boy who lived next door back home?" John asked. Their orders came and the waiter put them on the table.

"One and only," she quipped.

"Oh that reminds me, the journalist who is going to interview us today is a Salvatore, I think. I don't remember his first name, though," John told Elena, "Do you remember the name, dear?" he turned to ask his wife.

"No, I don't," she sipped her ocha tea.

"Is it Giuseppe?" Elena asked carefully, she remembered that Damon's father was a journalist.

"Oh! Yes, yes, I think his name is Giuseppe Salvatore, "John nodded.

"Oh my gosh, it is so awesome. He's Damon's father, I haven't seen Giuseppe in years. The Salvatores had moved back to Mystic Falls at the end of the summer, but I haven't seen Giuseppe around the house," Elena said excitedly.

"Well, brace yourself, here he comes."

Elena turned her head to come face to face with the man that Damon called father. Giuseppe had green, stoic eyes but he was nice to Elena and her family. He was a workaholic that Elena was so sure about since the first time she met him. Damon was nothing like him, though, with his blue eyes and raven hair; Giuseppe had dark blonde hair. Come to think of it, Stefan's hair mirrored his.

Giuseppe Salvatore, such a strong name yet he has a charming smile that could swoon many women back in his days. He was as old as Grayson, with a few white hairs here and there but he has this Italian charm that showed his prestige. He was a stern dad role for Damon, as Elena remembered. He was always strict when it came to raising his son, but he was also affectionate to his family.

He strolled to their table wearing his company's nametag on his white dress shirt. His shoes were so shiny that could beat a fourteen carats Tiffany diamond. He had a smile wide enough to greet the Gilberts as he walked to their booth.

"You must be John and Isobel Gilbert," he shook Elena's grandfather's hand, "I'm so sorry I came late, the traffic was unbeatable."

"It's fine, Mr. Salvatore. Hope you don't mind I bring along my beautiful granddaughter, Elena," he said to Giuseppe as he looked at Elena with her grin on.

"Hi, Mr. Salvatore, long time no see," she said easily.

"Elena Gilbert?" he asked as he slid next to her, "Daughter of Grayson and Miranda Gilbert?"

"That's me."

He shook her hand politely, "It is indeed has been a long time since we've last met, Elena. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks, how about you, sir?"

"I'm grand, thank you, what are you doing in New York?"

"I go to school here now."

"Your parents must be so proud of you," he stated, "So, Mr. Gilbert, can we start the questions?" he turned his head toward John.

For over twenty minutes, Isobel and John answered most of the questions that Giuseppe gave them as he placed the tape recorder on the table in front of them, sometimes he wrote what he thought were important. Elena threw in a word or two as she ate her Ramen noodle and watched her grandparents carefully. They were so passionate when it came to their business. They made her proud to be a Gilbert, that's for sure.

"Last question, why did you build a wedding organizer business while there are so many other business that makes more money?" Giuseppe asked in his all-business tone.

"Well, after being married with this old man for a long time, and I saw how much love that our family shared, I want to share that love that we have by doing what I do best; organizing. See, Mr. Salvatore, I'm have an OCD and I have things organized in my home, I have never let a thing lying around the house because it will drive me insane," Isobel answered.

"Yep, it will," Elena winked at her grandmother.

"Also, wedding is a beautiful thing. A very first step to start a family. I think that's a best way to share our love; by organizing couples' wedding all around America," John added.

Giuseppe finished writing on his notebook, "Well, I think that's all. Thank you for your time Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert," he stood up, "Elena, it was nice to see you again." Then he left the three of the Gilberts alone.

"Well, that was weird," Elena mumbled to herself.

"What is it, dear?" Isobel asked.

"I don't remember Giuseppe being so cold. He didn't even smile at me."

"Well, maybe he was tired. His job requires him to be active 24/7, you know," John nodded.

Her frowned disappeared a little, maybe her grandparents were right. Being a journalist took a toll on him and he was exhausted. However, she couldn't shake the funny feeling inside her.

"Maybe you're right. Anyway, can I ask for his number?"

* * *

Elena pushed the door of the Salvatore's open and she was hit instantly with the smell of Bolognese sauce. She found her stomach growling in hunger. She walked to a table next to the big French window and sat down. A waiter came with a menu and she asked him to call for Damon.

When she was busy flipping the menu, she felt like someone had turned off the light and she couldn't see anything. Her instant thought was to get up and search for her phone, but Damon's lime aftershave hit her nostrils.

"Guess who?" Damon said, with both his hands covered Elena's eyes.

She took a hold of his hands and looking up at her best friend, "That was cheesy, did you know that?"

He chuckled then sat in front of her, "what's up?"

"What's up is I'm hungry and you still owe me dinner," Elena wiggled her brows.

"And I aim to please, pick anything you want. On me," he winked and she grinned.

"So, Jess told me that you guys were supposed to go shopping together then you cancelled on her?" Damon said as the waiter take Elena's order.

Elena's mouth shut immediately. She almost forgot about that whole thing, where she saw Jessica cheated on Damon.

"Uh, yeah, Luke called. It was emergency," she lied, "And I want orange juice, please," the waiter wrote down her orders then he left.

"What was it?"

"He... was confused. About... choosing his outfit for a date."

"He did realize that he's a guy, right? Guys don't get confused about what's he going to wear for a date," Damon said matter-of-factly.

"Well, not all guys acting oh-so-cool like you," she stuck her tongue out at him.

He laughed, "Anyway, she'll be here with her brother who has just finish his internship in a hospital in Los Angeles."

She took a deep breath, finally decided that he had to know. She did not want Damon to stay in the dark regarding his relationship with Jessica, "Look, Damon, I want to tell you something."

"Shoot."

"Um... the day that I – "

She was interrupted with a loud, 'hey baby', and it was coming from the one and only, Jessica.

"Hey, Jess," Damon got up and peck her softly on the lips and Elena had to force herself not to thrown up on the scene.

"Hey, Elena. I'm sorry we missed it yesterday. Your friend is good now? Has he recovered?"

"Sick? I thought you said that he was in a fashion emergency," Damon got his eyebrows shot up.

"He was sick, yes, but he also had a date that he didn't want to cancel. So that's why I helped Liv buy his medicine and then find his perfect outfit for the date," Elena lied smoothly.

Damon's face was unreadable, "And what about that thing you want to tell me?"

"Um... well, that – "

"Hi, guys."

Elena looked around and found... the _other_ guy.

The guy who has Jessica's hands wrapped around him at the mall.

She let out a gasp, "Wait, is that your brother?"

"Yes, he is," Jessica smiled when her brother stood next to her, "Damon, Elena, this is Liam, my bother."

 _Well, shit. Thank God, I kept my mouth shut longer._

* * *

 **So, she is faithful to Damon. Sucks, I know. It will make her appear in this story much longer than I expected.**

 **And Giuseppe! I finally introduced you guys to Damon's father. Keep reading to know what happened inside then happy marriage of Agatha and Giuseppe.**

 **Don't forget to drop a review, yeah? So I know what you guys thought about this one.**

 **See you next chapter! and happy weekend!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Two updates in a row! I feel like writing and before I realized it, I got chapter 10 done. There's also Jessica's POV in it, so forgive me, but it is VERY important.**

 **Oh, and _jairem_ , I think I kind of bored with DE so that I decided to pair Damon with Jessica :P**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

* * *

"Thank you," Elena said as she smiled up at Damon and took her two scoops of buttercream chocolate ice cream from his hand.

Damon licked his strawberry mocha and sat next to the fashion designer student, "How come we get to do this only now? We should have done this since the first time you introduce me with food trucks."

"You are a New Yorker yet you have never even had a food from food trucks before I introduced you to one?"

"No, they are not hygienic," he said as if it was obvious.

"You are so like my G-ma, she has an OCD," she teased.

"You compare me to your grandmother? What, I got breasts and white hair as well now?" he faux pouted. She could not help but shove her ice cream to Damon's mouth. The chocolate smeared his mouth and his chin, as he was not preparing for the attack.

"Elena, come on!" he whined, "Look, it's dripping on my shirt."

"Oh, you big baby," she took the wet wipes from her purse and wiped the chocolate drips from his shirt, "A scout girl always prepared. Besides, your pouting skill has got me beaten, and now I am starting to realize why Caroline was so mad at me because I pouted after _I_ ruin her lucky blouse for her third date with Jesse. "

He laughed, "And you survived her temper tantrum? Wow, congratulations."

"Not funny, okay? She had me to do her laundry for two weeks because of that," she grumbled, "And I do not like doing laundry, I'd rather scrub the frat house's toilets for two weeks."

"Yeah, because then you will meet those big, muscly guys and flirting with them," Damon said deadpanned.

"Oh, you know me so damn well," she winked at him.

This was the feeling she got when she hung out with Damon; happy, carefree, and the was always the excitement running on full speed inside of her, because he was that unpredictable.

Damon got rid of the wipes and finished off his ice cream before he threw the remaining of his ice cream into the nearest bin. Elena had finished hers long before he did and then played with her phone as she waited for him.

"You want to go to Broadway? See some shows, or just check it out. I just realized that I haven't taken you sightseeing yet," Damon offered.

"Oh, Liv and Luke have done it. We watched Wicked twice in the past two weeks," she told him nonchalantly.

"What? Not only I have been replaced as your best friend with the Geek Barbie but I have also been replaced with Wonder Twins?" he exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Don't be such a drama queen," she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, guess who I met last week when I was with my grandparents?"

"More old people?" he answered deadpanned.

"No, because I did not meet them at the nursing home," she punched his shoulder playfully.

"Then tell me o'wise one," he smirked and she felt like punching him again but she restrained.

"Your dad. Giuseppe."

In that moment, Damon's jaw dropped, his blue eyes widened showing full surprise and he went still as a rock. Elena frowned slightly looking at her friend whose face look like he had just seen a ghost, "Um, Damon?"

He picked up his jaw and Elena could see his Adam's apple bob as he blinked his blue eyes twice as if he willed himself to break out a reverie.

"Damon, what is it?" Concern laced in her tone, "Damon?"

His jaw hardened and he got up, "I'm fine."

He started to walk away without waiting for Elena to get up, "Damon, wait," she jogged as she tried to match his steps.

She grabbed his arms and forcefully turned him around to look at her, "What is wrong with you?"

"You can't see him again, Elena," he said in low tone.

"Why not?" she challenged, "It will be fun for us to have some lunch or dinner together to catch up. Just like old times."

"No!" he roared and she took a step back, clearly surprised, and terrified, by his outburst, "I'm sorry, but that can't ever happen. You are not to see him again."

"What, no. Who do you think you are? You are not my father, and you sure as hell not my husband. I am an adult and I can do whatever I want. Hell, I can jump off the Empire State building if I want to do it," she half yelled at him, showing him with full hand gestures.

"Listen to me, Elena," he took her hand in his and grasped it tightly almost hurting her in the process, "He is not like what you remember."

"Enlighten me, then. What is so wrong about him that you hate him so much?"

He let go of his hold of her hand a little, "So much had happened that you don't know."

"Then tell me. You promised me to tell me all of your problems. Maybe I can help, Damon," she said softly as he looked straight into her brown orbs.

"No, you can't," he whispered almost audibly, "It's done and it can't be repaired."

He let her go then, he took a step back before he offered her a sad smile that said, 'I'm sorry, but I can't talk about it right now', and he turned around and walked away from her.

* * *

It was the next day when Elena finally took in what had happened yesterday and she was determined to find out what had been going on with the Salvatores. She had to have an answer. She got on her feet to grab her phone and call Agatha, but Stefan was the one answering and he said that his mother was out to the Fresh Market. She then called her mother, in case she knew something and Miranda told her exactly what Agatha had told her before; they had separated.

What was so wrong with divorce? Most American couples got divorce and some were fine but some did have problems but Damon seemed like he did not even want to hear his father's name, as if his name was poisonous and it can drag you to hell as soon as you hear it out from someone's mouth.

Elena set her phone on the bedside table and sighed, "What happened, Damon? Why won't you tell me?"

She did the last thing she swore she would never do; call Jessica.

She took a deep breath before she searched her name in her contacts and touched the telephone button then put the phone against her ear.

It did not take long for her to answer, _"Hey, Elena, what's up?"_

"Jess, is it a bad time? I need to talk to you."

" _No,"_ her voice softened, " _Of course not, what is it?"_

"I met Giuseppe few days ago," she stopped because she still contemplating whether to tell her or not.

" _Who's Giuseppe?"_

"Um... you don't know?" Elena arched an eyebrow.

" _No"_ she chuckled nervously, _"Should I know him?"_

"He's... Damon's father."

" _Oh_ ," then it dawned to Elena that she had no knowledge about Damon's family _, "He never talks about his family, especially his father. I've only seen picture of Stefan and his mom."_

Elena went silent, _am I wrong that I am about to ask her about this?_

" _What's up with him?"_

"Nothing, it's just that I think I'm going to surprise him by setting up a lunch for him and his dad, but I... got no contacts that I can use to tell Giuseppe that," she lied, she decided it would be safe for her not directly ask someone who had a title as Damon's girlfriend, yet he never told her anything personal about him.

" _Oh, I can find it for you, if you want, I got a friend who can help me"_ she offered.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Thanks," she hung up and threw the small object on her throw pillow next to her with a huff.

* * *

" _Yeah, sure, whatever. Thanks,"_

Jessica put the phone away from her ear and immediately called on of her contacts. She waited for a minute before a gruffly sound that belong to a guy greet her.

" _Hello?"_

"I need help."

" _What? It's 9 in the morning,"_ he half yelled, half grumbled through the phone.

"Please, find a contact that I can call under the name Giuseppe Salvatore," she pleaded to the other person.

" _And you can't wait until, oh, I don't know, 3 more hours?"_

"Lee, you owe me one, remember?" she said menacingly.

" _Just because you gave me answers when I had to retest for human anatomy doesn't mean I owe you."_

"Yes, you _do_ ," she stressed, "Or I'll tell the dean that you cheated."

"You won't do that," he said in a flat voice, but she knew his confidence had shaken a little.

"Oh, watch me," just as she was about to hang up, she heard Lee yelled, "Wait!"

She put the phone on her ear, _"Okay, I'll send the information to you in fifteen."_

She hung up then and put the phone on the table.

She took a deep breath, and started pacing around her luxurious apartment.

She had never expected a call for Elena in the morning, let alone to ask her about Damon's father. She had known Damon for almost a year and a half now, and not once, had he mentioned the name 'Giuseppe.'

She knew Damon from a friend who recommended her the new Italian place that had everyone buzzing about. She instantly attracted to him, who wouldn't? With his raven black hair, cobalt blue eyes so hypnotizing and of course, his attitude. She liked his witty comments, his snarky and sarcastic way of talking so she decided to say yes when he asked her out. They had been together then.

Then, Logan came. Logan was the new transferred guy from Tulsa. He had this charming way of talking and she could not help but reeled in to his life. He offered her dinner one time, they got drunk and Damon saw when he tried to take off her top right after he kissed her. She apologized after that, saying that she was drunk and he forced himself into her. He accepted her apology with a condition that she could not see him again.

That was the one thing she hated from him, he had to control everything. So, two months after the incident, Jessica came to Logan's apartment to prove to Damon that he couldn't control her and right there and then, she had sex with Logan and snapped a picture of them afterwards and send it to Damon under an anonymous number and name. Then, he decided that they were on a break, and he went to Mystic Falls to help his mother moved and when he came back, he took her again. But, he said that if she did something like that again, he may as well break up with her, for good. It was as if he had issues with being abandoned and being a second choice, she thought. It was a strange concept for her to grasp looking as Damon was a handsome man with many talents, he would never be abandoned and he would always be anyone's first choice.

People may think that she has a twisted mindset, but that was just who she is. She liked Damon; she might even love him. The first time she said that she loved him was when he bought her a giant teddy bear, cooked for her, and gave her hours of orgasms after she told him that she got a D on a test.

Nevertheless, Damon compared to Logan... she could never choose.

It was a good thing that Logan had gone back to Tulsa a week after that happened.

Jessica was snap from her thoughts by the ring on her phone; she snatched it and slid the green button to the right.

"Well?"

" _It's 555-9834. He lives in Manhattan, alone with no family. He works as a senior journalist in_ The Post _for the past five years. He_ _claims_ _that he has no other family members left except for his estrange wife and his two biological sons. That's it."_ Lee said in all business-like tone.

"Thanks, Lee." She hung up and directly went to call Elena.

When she was just about to enter Elena's number, she decided to against it.

Since Damon has been different with her after he introduced Elena, she could not help but feel like they had connections stronger that she had with Damon. Now, Damon care for Elena more than for her, even every week he had to meet Elena to catch up he said.

Why make Elena took all the credits by setting up a meeting for Damon and his father while she did all the hard work?

* * *

"Kitchen's closed, Jess. What are we doing here?"

Jessica led Damon to one of the booth then asked him to sit down, "I want to do something special for you since it has been a while we do something for ourselves. I promise you it will make you so happy that you will forever be with me."

"I'm up for anything... pleasurable," he purred as he tried to kiss her, but she pushed him away slightly.

"Nope, not until I give you my surprise, then you can kiss me," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Okay, hit me with it then."

"Wait here. Do not look back, I mean it."

She slid off the booth and went behind Damon then text someone on her phone. She looked around to make sure that no one else was around when a man came toward her and smirked at her.

"Are you Giuseppe?" she whispered so that Damon would not hear. "I'm Jessica, we spoke on the phone earlier."

"Yes. Good evening, Miss. Now where is he?"

"There," she pointed toward Damon who was sitting on the booth, with his back facing them.

"Jess, I'm getting impatient here," Damon yelled.

"A second," she replied, "Now, follow me, please, Mr. Salvatore," she then walked to the booth with Giuseppe following behind her.

"Ta-Da!" she announced happily when she got standing next to him.

Damon turned his head to the left, and his body went rigid. He clenched his jaw and his eyes full of rage that he showed toward his father. He fisted his fist in anger. He stood up as he said coldly, " _You_."

"Hello, son," he smiled cruelly.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" he spat as he pushed his father out of the way.

He thought that his anger and his rage that he had pent up for the last ten years had disappeared along with him, but suddenly it went back on full force as soon as he was standing face to face with the man that sign his name under the 'Name of the Father' in his birth certificate.

"This nice lady here," he nodded to Jessica who has her confused face on, "Was kind enough to set up a... _reunion_ for both of us."

Damon was almost forgotten that his girlfriend was standing not far from them. He looked at her with eyes full of questions and disappointment, "Why? Why did you bring the asshole here?!"

He went to her and she took a step back, afraid, because she had never seen Damon this enraged and fuming. He ended up grabbing her both arms and shook her violently, "Why? Why, Jessica?!"

"Damon, stop it, it hurts," she whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Now, now, son, don't do anything I'd done before," Giuseppe said deadpanned.

He let go of her and strolled back to where his father was standing and sending his fist to his face, "You do not get to call me your son!" he screamed, and Jessica jolted behind him. She had never heard him scream in anger like that before.

He connected his fist to Giuseppe's jaw once again but he was faster and stronger that he ended up got punched by him instead, sent Damon to the nearest chairs and broke it, "Watch your tongue, you ungrateful boy!"

Giuseppe was livid now, he couldn't contain his anger toward his son anymore, "You do not use that tone to your father."

Damon tried to get up as he wipe the blood that was coming from his mouth, "You are no father to me, you piece of shit. You beat me, you beat mom, and you beat Stefan, and you still dare to call me your son?!"

Jessica gasped, as she couldn't contain her surprise. The man that she was brought into Damon's restaurant had beaten him and his family. Who was he? He was sure not a father to Damon.

"You better get the fuck out of here before I call the police. Or better yet, I will fucking fight you so hard that you don't even feel your fucking balls tomorrow," Damon threatened. He was shaking now, his blood had gone to his head and he felt that it was going to blow up soon.

Giuseppe chuckled mockingly, "I'll leave. But, I'll come back again. Give your mother and Stefan kisses for me."

Damon went to hit him again when he felt someone hang on to his shoulder, "Don't, Damon, please," Jessica pleaded.

He looked back at the door to find him gone, but the anger that man had made resurface was still inside of him and he went to the nearest table, picked a flower vase and threw it apathetically to the floor and watched it broke to pieces. He went to grab another vase from the next table when Jessica scream, "Damon, stop it!"

He stopped immediately, then turned to face the girl that he had called his girlfriend for the past year numbly, "We're done. For good. Now get the fuck out of here and never come back. I'll hunt you down if I ever even see the slightest of your hair again."

Jessica, with her tears streamed down her beautiful face, picked up her purse, and walked to the door. She stopped then turned around to face the broken man and said heart-brokenly, "I'm sorry."

* * *

 **KIDDING, Jairem! :D**

 **So, you now have a slight clue of what happened to Damon and Giuseppe, still there's a mystery of where Stefan came from and why does Damon loathe his father so so much.**

 **Oh, do you want me to write next chapter with Elena's POV or Damon? Tell me! Because I'm flexible like that ;)**

 **Don't forget to drop a review, okay? See you next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, I ended up writing in both Damn and Elena's POV. I hope you understand that this chapter is not going too fast, I think, and Damon has two problems ahead of him; Giuseppe and his feelings toward Elena now that he really hate Jessica for what she has done.**

 **Oh, and I feel really bad today, stomach bug or something, so I haven't done a thorough proof reading for this chapter, please forgive me if you finds some mistakes.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

* * *

"I'm going to go downstairs to do my laundry," Elena informed her roommate as she gathered her dirty clothes, "Where's yours?"

Caroline looked up from her textbook, "I did mine. You don't have to do my laundry anymore."

She frowned slightly; she knew Caroline would not change her mind that fast, "Thanks, but why? I ruined your outfit for a date with Jesse, remember?"

"Damon called, told me to stop making you my maid," she pouted, "He's that protective of you, you know."

She smiled at Damon's thoughtfulness, "Well, he did the right thing, then. Your dirty clothes are smellier than mine, ever."

She stuck out her tongue out, " _Whatevs_. I'm going to go to the library for the night, I got a project due next week and I'm helping Jesse with his," Caroline got on her feet and grabbed her backpack.

"Oh, you got a hot study date," Elena teased, "Should I expect you to be here later tonight?"

"Nope, might as well getting laid, right?" the blonde winked and blew a kiss to her friend then walked out the door, leaving Elena shook her head in delight watching Caroline so smitten with Jesse.

* * *

It was Damon's seventh drink, and he started to feel dizzy and his stomach churned, when the bartender shouted, "Last call!"

He went to _Bolt_ , which located not too far from his restaurant, after he locked up and kicked everything in his way when he was on the way there. He ordered his favorite hard liquor, bourbon, as soon as he sat in one of the stools. He did not even realize he was already on his fourth drinks when his mind decided to remember the event earlier.

He was so pissed off. Wait, pissed off did not even begin to cover it. _He_ had some nerve to walk in his family's restaurant, called him son, and taunted him repeatedly. He had never dreamed he would see him again so soon in his life. That old man had stepped out of their lives for good a long time ago. He did not even want to know whether he was still breathing or already buried six feet underground. That was how much he hated him. He called him his father when he was a child, yes, but he turned out to be the biggest fucking jerk face in his life and all he wanted to do was burn all of his connections with him. Hell, he did not even want to look at his birth certificate with his name on it.

He did not know what he wanted by showing up unexpectedly after all these years. He did not care, actually. But he brought up his mother and Stefan's name and he could not help but thinking about it. Giuseppe would never have a chance to meet them. He did not even want him to ever _think_ about them after all he did to them. He was a heartless bastard and he still was.

And Jessica.

He hated her.

He despised her.

She did the one thing that he really wished she would never do. How the hell did she find out about him anyway?

He loved her, sure, but after tonight, he was not even sure if he wanted to see her again or not. Maybe not, or else he would be reminded again that she had done something so awful and sickening someone had ever done to him; set up a meeting with the one person he hated so much with passion that had cause him many years of agony and pain both emotionally and physically. Besides Giuseppe, she was the other person he did not want to encounter ever again.

Besides, he had been feeling different toward her. He cared about her once, even he was willingly to take her back after she clearly had cheated on him and parading around about it to him. However, after what she did, he could not forgive her. She had brought someone who was the cause of his pain over the years back to his life. She had some nerve to make him some kind of great surprise when actually it did nothing but pain and rage growing again inside of him.

 _How the hell she could know about that sad excuse of man?_ He asked himself.

"Yo, buddy, we're closing in ten. Want me to catch you a cab?" the bartender, 5'7 feet give or take, dark skin with bald head, asked.

"Elena," he mumbled suddenly; remembering about his loyal best friend.

"Who?" he asked again now with his cell in is hand.

"Call Elena," with his clumsy hand, he tried to reach his side pocket on his jeans and the bartender immediately help him and looking for Elena in his contacts. After a minute or two, the Elena girl answered him.

" _What? It is two –_ "

"I got your buddy right here, he needs you to pick him up," he cut off.

Some shuffling sound could be heard through the line, "Who is this?"

"Mike. You can pick him up at _Bolt_ ; do you know where it is?"

" _Yeah, sure. Be there in fifteen; and please, watch him for me until I get there. Thanks_ _,_ _Mike."_

The connection went dead and he put his phone back on the table where Damon put his arms over the table and laid his head on it as he felt the effect of the alcohol he had been drinking tonight.

"Elena?" he slurred.

"Got her on the way right now. Now sit, and be pretty while you are waiting for her," the bartender left him alone on the table.

 _Bolt_ was not crowded with people anymore, only Damon and two other drunken men on the corner talking about how he was going to raise a baby while he could not even do his own dishes. Damon looked up and closed his eyes, muttering about the bright lights, before he said, "Mike? Yo, Mike! Who's Mike? Where's Mike?"

Hearing the dark haired man calling him, he showed up in front of him, "What?"

"Give me scotch on the rocks, now."

"Your girl said not to drink one more glass," he rolled his eyes.

"Elena?" he asked with wandered eyes.

"Yes, your girl, Elena."

"She's," he hiccuped, "pretty... you know. She is my BFF and I love her. I love her more than," he hiccuped again, "life itself."

"Yeah, yeah, now be quiet, I'm cleaning up back here," he left Damon once again.

Ten minutes had passed and when the door opened, Elena, with her worn out blue jeans and her pink unicorn t-shirt underneath her black zip up jacket, walked to Damon with concern written on her face.

"Damon, hey," she called softly as she tapped his shoulder.

He grumbled but there was no sign of him waking up and talk to her, "Damon, come on, let's go home."

She shook him harder but he would not budge. She sighed before she called Mike to hail them a cab back to her dorm because it was the closest from here.

She sat beside him, looking at him in sympathy, scanned him up and down in case he was physically sick, "What happened to you?"

"Uh...," he finally looked up at her, with his usually bright blue eyes but now turned to red and it was missing its usual light in it, "Elena?"

She smiled sadly at him, "Yeah, you okay?"

"You're here," he blinked repeatedly before he could make out Elena's appearance and hugged her tight making her giggle. "It's good to see you," he said softly in her hair.

"I must say I don't feel the same way," she chuckled, "Has something happened?"

"Uh... what?" he let go of her and tried so hard to look her in the eyes but all he could see was the bright lights and he closed his eyes once again. He started to feel like a hammer pounded on his head.

"Damon," she called firmly, "Has something happened tonight?"

"He's back," he whispered distractedly, "She brought him. That son of a bitch."

"Who's back?"

Before he could answer though, Mike informed them that their cab had arrived and he helped Elena to carry Damon inside the cab and paid for his drinks. Once the both of them were inside the cab, Elena told the driver her dorm's address and he hit on the gas immediately.

When they got to her dorm, the cab's driver was kind enough to help her to bring him inside and up to Elena's room. _Thank God, Caroline's not here,_ she said to herself.

After she paid the driver and gave him generous tip, she carried him, with all of her energy that she had left, and put him on her bed. She quietly and carefully took off his shoes and his socks, then went up to unbuttoned two of his t-shirt, picked up his long legs and covered them with her blue floral sheet. He seemed to be asleep when she was finished and she went and grabbed two pills of Advil and a glass of water then put it on her bedside table. Damon stirred slightly, "Where – Elena?"

"I'm here," she whispered, "Go back to sleep."

He reached out for her hips and soundly pulled her closer and she fell onto Damon. She let out a chuckle before she shifted, and make room for him and herself in her dorm's single bed, and lay next to Damon, who still had his hands wrapped around her.

"Stay," he demanded softly.

"I will; if you promise to tell me everything in the morning," she sing-songed in his ears.

"Too loud, Len," he grumbled away from her, feeling a headache started to come on again, but she caught him just in time.

"Promise me. I'm your best friend, Damon," she told him.

"Yeah, sure."

He got his hands around her once again and he buried his head in the crook of her neck and smelled her, "You smell nice."

Damon did not notice but her heart started to beat faster and she felt hot all of a sudden, "Yeah?"

"Hmmm," he mumbled, snuggled closed against her.

She felt so hot that she was sure it was summer instead of fall now, "I went to Bath and Body Works and bought their new fall toiletries."

"Smell good," he sniffed her again and she was sure she was going to die of the heat. Or maybe she was going to die because, even though he was reek of alcohol, he managed to smell good; so Damon-y, and she liked it to be that close to him.

"Yep, now sleep or you'll get headache more than you're feeling now."

He fell asleep within seconds with his head still buried in her neck, her arm wrapped his shoulder, and the other tried to soothe him by running her fingers through his soft, thick hair.

* * *

" – don't be ridiculous, Matt... He's here because – stop cutting me off! No, you know what? Go sleep it off again or something, you're being mean and I don't like it," Elena huffed half-angrily. She was currently standing in front of her window, looking at the food trucks that started to fill the parking lot surround her dorm building.

Damon awoke from his deep slumber, hearing someone stomped off their foot twice the half-yelled three times. He had a feeling he had been drinking to a stupor because of the massive headache he felt right now and his stomach churning, he was going to throw up on the bed before he noticed a small pink trash bin next to his shoes on the floor. He got up slightly, ignoring the jackhammer hammering his head, picking up the trash bin and pouring out his dinner last night along with his alcohol that he had consumed.

Elena turned her head around to find her friend threw up and went to his side instantly, she rubbed his back as she said some soothing words at him. She ignored her boyfriend's rambling over the phone.

"I got to go now... No, I will call you later... Yes, I will make time for you, _sweetheart_ ," she snickered sarcastically then hung up the phone. She looked at Damon, who had just finished his attempt to empty his stomach, "Feeling better now?"

"Ugh," he whined in pain as he held his head in his right hand, "My head."

"That's what you get when you are drunk out of your ass," she took the Advil from her bedside table, gave the pills to him and handed him the glass of water.

He drank it gratefully then put the glass on the table before he leaned against the headboard, "What am I doing here? What happened?"

"Mike, the bartender, called me then I picked you up at _Bolt_ , and I brought you here because it's the closest," she summarized of last night's events. "The 'what happened' I want to go back to. You, tell me what the hell happened to you."

Damon blinked, adjusting to the light that was coming from her window. He suddenly remembered what had happened to him during the last 24 hours. His father came back, he broke up with Jessica, spent the night at _Bolt_.

"Nothing," he said curtly.

"Okay, I went all the way from here to pick you up, slept in this very small bed with you, and I must say my back is so sore that you have to pay for a mass – "

"We slept together?"

She blushed slightly but hiding it by looking at the floor, "You grabbed me so that I fell beside you and asked me to stay. Now what kind of friend would I be if I left you?"

"Then what?"

"We slept, I woke up because Matt called and you woke up because I was having a hissy fit then you threw up. See, how nice of me to tell you everything when you don't want to tell me what the _heck_ happened to you." She said sarcastically.

"You don't have to be such a bitch about it," he said snidely made her arched her eyebrows.

"What did you just say?"

"Look, I'm thankful that you have went through such trouble for me last night, but I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?" he sighed tiredly, he closed his eyes again, still not feeling good and he thought the Advil was losing its effects on him.

"You don't have to call me a bitch," she called him out. She took a step back, crossing her arms, obviously offended by what he had said to her.

"Len, my best friend, I am so sorry for calling you a bitch," he smiled a little, "I'm still having this massive headache and I don't know what to do about it, okay? I want to go back to sleep but I can't, I'm hungry but I think I'm going to be sick if I eat, I want to pee but I can't walk or else I'm going to fall on my face and embarrassed myself."

She looked at him sympathetically, "I know," she took a step forward, letting her arms down and rubbing his temple with her thumbs and he leaned closer and closed his eyes in pleasure, "I'm going to go downstairs and bring you breakfast in bed. Now, what would you like to eat?"

"From food trucks?"

She shook her head, could not believe he still thought about hygiene when he felt this way, "Yes, from food trucks. Now, pancakes, waffles, coffee... Something?"

He was quiet for a moment, "Blueberry pancakes with a side of hash browns and black coffee?" he fluttered his long lashes at her and she giggled.

"Coming right up, Mister Salvatore," she went to grab her zip up jacket and put it on.

"I like it when you call me Mister Salvatore, it sounded sexy," he teased seductively making Elena uncomfortable. _Is he being serious right now?_

"And I hate it when you tease me," she said in the same manner as Damon's and surprised herself. _What did I just say?_

She cleared her throat, "I'll be right back," and then she bolted out the room in a flash.

Damon sighed in content after she left. Did he just making sexual innuendos to his best friend, Elena? He frowned, fell into deep thinking.

It felt so domestic and nice for him to be like that with Elena. He felt... alive. As weird as that sounded, he did feel that way. She was like his perfect match in humor department and in many other departments.

He just came to a conclusion that he had never done that playful bickering with Jessica in a long time, not after she cheated on him with Logan.

He felt the differences after he got back together with her. He did still feel turn on by her when she straddled on his lap and grinded him as she was kissing him; who didn't? Jessica was a very beautiful woman with curves in the right places. Nevertheless, he did not feel the same thing as he was feeling when they first got together. He did not feel the passion and the love that radiating within him when he was first made love to her.

He thought, especially since Elena came back in his life. She had changed him. She had got him think about her more than he should and forgot that he was still with Jessica. His best friend got her way to made him feel something that he had not felt before.

"I come bearing gifts," she opened the door with brown paper bags in both of her hands, "Blueberry pancakes enough for both of us, hash browns for you, fruit salad for me, black coffee for you and hot jasmine tea for me," she placed the food on her desk.

He snapped from his thoughts as he saw her bright smile directly to him and in instant, he grinned back wholeheartedly, "It would be so much better if you bring those foods to me."

"Fine, you get to play king for this morning, Salvatore," she huffed but still brought the foods and placed it on his lap. She climbed on her bed, sat next to him and they ate as they talked and joked about so many things just as they used to when they were kids.

* * *

 **I decided to split 'the talk' between them about what had happened to Damon because it is nearing midnight here and I have morning classes tomorrow. Also, I don't know how hangover feels like since I have never experienced one before, so I'm sorry if the hangover description was a bit off.**

 **Anyway, tell me your thoughts about this chapter would you? I really want to know, and I appreciate every single review that I've got from you guys!**

 **See you next chapter!**

 **PS: If you also read my Blind Date, I have just uploaded the latest chapter a week ago after a year absent, go check it out! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here it is, the chapter we all have been waiting for, Damon's past.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

* * *

The next thing that they had planned after their playful breakfast was getting ready for the day and Elena would made sure that Damon would have his best day today. After she sent him home, with full tummy and bright smile on his tired face, she took a shower, picked up her red flannel t-shirt, black legging, and her black ankle boots from her closet, put them on and finally put some natural look make-up on her already beautiful face; she did not forget to spray some of her Bath and Body Works' Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, then put her long chocolate hair in messy bun on top of her head.

Damon and Elena had agreed to meet at Washington Square Park at noon. She got there early on purpose to buy her favorite sweet almond pretzel. She bought one then went to sit on one of the park benches.

She bit down on her food and let out a satisfied moan. She was the only girl in her class who would probably prefer pretzels than sex and she was not ashamed of it.

As she savored her favorite snack, her mind flew to her blue-eyed best friend. He had not yet told her about his story of why he ended up drunk and had the bartender called her to pick him up. She was very curious, and she could not just sit tight when she wanted to know something but she did not have an answer. Damon had to tell her today, no matter what she would get her answer.

She cared so much for Damon; even maybe more than she cared to admit. Since he was back in her life, it was as if he was the one she could talk to about anything; her struggle with her subjects at school, her homesickness, even she could talk about when Caroline being a pain in the ass and she became frustrated because of it.

Sure, Caroline was her closest friend. But before her, Damon had snuck into her life and planted himself there. It was not easy to shake him and pull him out of her life.

Lately, she had felt something different toward him. Especially when he was being close to him. It was as if he suffocated her and she could barely breathe, but the weird thing was, she liked that kind of suffocation. His smell and just a mere thought of him could put her heart in a jumble of mess. She could barely catch her breath when she was thinking about – .

"Gotcha!" Damon hollered causing her to jump out of her seat and instinctively dropped her half-eaten pretzel on the ground.

"Damon! My pretzel!" she growled, and when he took a sit next to her, she smacked his head and he let out a cry.

"Ow! You smacked me over pretzel?" he rubbed his head in pain, "I know you love it but that is rude, Gilbert!"

"That's what you get when you messing with me when I'm eating," she bent down to picked up her dirty leftover pretzel and threw it in the nearest bin.

"Damn, Gilbert," he muttered.

They went silent and just relished each others presence. Even when they were not talking to each other, they felt comfortable and warmth inside.

Damon looked around, watching random people passed them by; some have smiles on their faces, some have frown on their foreheads. Sometimes, he wondered if other people have best friend like Elena who ready to be there for him whenever he needed her.

When she sent him home, he refused to take a cab. He would rather walk to his apartment five blocks from her dorm to clear his mind. After spending the morning with his frisky best friend, he needed some time alone with his thought. He needed to wipe Giuseppe's face from his mind. He needed to erase Jessica's trace from his life. He needed to be with himself to think hard about his feelings for Elena.

 _His feelings?_

Did he have some sort of feelings more than friendship toward Elena? Did he dare to risk his long-term friendship with her only to be selfish and pursue it? Did he have the heart to tell her what he truly felt inside without Elena walking away from his life? Because he knew, he would not survive without Elena being gone from his life for the second time.

His mind turned into a massive jumble of mess then.

He had just broken up with Jessica for less than twenty-four hours and he already considered that he had feelings for other girl? For Elena, nonetheless?

In addition, he had not been completely honest with her. He had not told her about his father. One thing Damon knew for sure, if you want to have a healthy relationship or friendship, it took a complete honesty to make it beautiful.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Elena's soft voice broke him out of his messy thoughts.

"Um... can we just stay here for a while? I need the peace," he responded.

"As long as you promise to tell me what happened – "

"You are relentless, Miss Elena," he smiled, shaking his head amused.

"You know me," she bumped her shoulder against his, "So, want to tell me?"

"Promise not to cut me off before I finished?" he turned to look at her seriously.

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

He took a deep breath; he was about to reveal something so dark in his life that even Jessica did not know about.

"When I moved from Mystic Falls to New York, we lived in this... pretty big house with four bedrooms and three baths. I was so happy back then, despite my loneliness to have lost a friend like you," he tapped her nose and she giggled but then assured him to continue, "We started to fall into new routines; I went to school until three, mom had stayed home then I helped her making dinner, dad stayed at work until six. It was boring, I know, and then cut to two months later, dad started to come home late. He would come home at least at ten or eleven at night when I was asleep, mom and dad started to fight and fight repeatedly and only stopped when I went downstairs. I was so afraid that they would gotten divorce or worse, I wanted to call you, you know, to let you know and maybe then I felt a little bit better after I talked to someone, but I thought that maybe you had new friends already and I didn't want to bother you – "

"That is the most – " She cut him off only to received a glare from him, "I'm sorry, please, do go on."

"Anyway, the peak of their fight happened two weeks after dad always got home late," Damon seemed hesitate to continue but Elena took his hand in hers and urging him to keep going, "You're not going to like this, Elena."

"Try me."

"He started to slap her, to beat her," he whispered and Elena let out a gasp and frown started to adorned her face, "I didn't witness it, though, but I heard it from my room. I used to hug the teddy bear you gave me to, I don't know, give me strength or something. I'd cried til I feel asleep and usually the next day I saw her beautiful face was red but she still smiled at me despite it all."

Tears started gather in her eyes. Her best friend Damon was so strong to endure the emotional pain when he was so young. She was so proud of him and sympathize him at the same time.

"Then, one night he came home drunk. I was watching _Power Rangers_ with mom in the living room when he yelled at her to... satisfied him sexually," he made a face of disgust as Elena listened to every word he said, "She refused, of course, because I was there. She would cover my ears as he shouted angrily at her for not being a good wife to him, then out of nowhere, he slapped _me_. He kicked me on the stomach before mom stopped him and she received a harsh slap instead. I cried for him to stop, the physical pain was unbearable, Len," his eyes was full of fear as he told the story, she could not believe that after all these years the event still stuck in him and he still felt the terror.

She squeezed his hand in hers, "It's okay, you don't have to tell me all of it," her lone tear escaped her eyes.

"No, I want you to know. I _need_ it for you to know this," he said firmly.

She nodded, encouraged him, "Okay, just know that I'm here for you."

"The pain stopped suddenly, and when I woke up I was in the hospital. My mom sat beside me; with her puffy eyes and red cheeks, she crushed me into her and whispered that everything is going to be okay. Dad, however, he pretended that nothing happened and when I got back from hospital, he still acted that nothing was wrong. He still came home late and he still slapped mom when he didn't get want he want from her. I was disgusted with myself, you know. I have beaten myself up and scolded myself; I should have been stronger for her. I should have protected her," Damon stopped suddenly, closed his eyes, and let the memories of his parents' late night fights filled his head.

Elena was full blown crying now in front of him, she did not care about the looks from people toward them. She just focused on the broken man in front of her. She made little circles with her thumb over Damon's knuckles, hoping it would soothe him a little bit.

"Weeks later, he came home only to packed his bags and took all of their saved money then left. Mom was crying, on her knees, begging him not to leave. She still had hope that they would get better but his only response was, 'Get away, bitch.' I was the one who rocked her at the bottom of the stairs, to calmed her down, I told her that we could make it alone, the both of us will survived without that fucker," his eyes were red of unshed tears as he looked blankly straight to Elena's, "Ready to hear the plot twist?"

She nodded; not finding his humor was funny this time.

"Rose, Stefan's mother, came two weeks later."

"Stef – what?"

"He's not my brother, Len. He is my step brother. Apparently, my dad has been having an affair with her months before we moved," he said bitterly, "She came alone; with little baby Stefan in her arms."

He let himself remembered the night Rose came with Stefan wrapped up in blue blankets.

* * *

" _Are you Agatha Salvatore?"_

 _A woman in her late twenties asked Damon's mother with a baby boy in her arms. She quivered in cold and she hugged the baby closer to her chest. She was wearing a quiet thin coat in the early of December, and she instantly took pity on her._

" _Yes. I'm sorry, who are you?"_

" _I'm Rose," she seemed hesitant to say the next line, "I'm your husband's ex-girlfriend."_

 _The cup of tea that she had held in her hands crashed_ _to_ _the floor, making Damon popped his head from the wall in the living room._

" _What?" she breathed, could not believe what she had said._

 _The woman, Rose, cried, then with sad, wet eyes, she said, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Salvatore. I was – I didn't mean to ruin your marriage. He didn't tell me he has a family. I... he charmed his way to my heart and then Stefan was born."_

 _She referred to the baby boy in her arms. He could not be more than three months old. Agatha, being the selfless person that she was, looked at the sleeping baby in her arms, forgetting that her husband had cheated on her._

 _Damon stayed quiet as he listened to_ _their exchanges. He was curious about the bundle in the stranger's arms._

" _I know I'm in no place to ask you for a favor, but..."_

 _Agatha remained silent, still absorbing the fact that, not only her husband had left with emotional and physical pain for both her and their son, he also had cheated on her. From the look of the baby, he had cheated in her more than ten months now, even before they moved from Mystic Falls._

" _Stefan," she referred to the baby, "needs some place to stay as I run errand tonight. Please, Mrs. Salvatore, he is innocent in this situation. He is a victim, just like you and I. I have no one else left in this world but him and... Please, I need you to take care of him for tonight. Tomorrow I will come back for him, I know I – "_

" _Rose," she said tightly, "Stefan can stay."_

 _Rose's brown eyes widened in definite surprise. Who was this woman? This woman had been cheated on by her husband with her but she still could help her take care of her baby for one night?_

" _What – are you serious?"_

" _Yes, but only for tonight," she said strictly as she reached out her arms to take Stefan from her, "I expect you to come back here first thing in the morning."_

 _Then she closed the door softly, turned around then found Damon with curious eyes looking directly at the baby in his mother's arms. Agatha_ _'s_ _eyes filled with tears as she said, "Damon, honey, this is your step brother, Stefan."_

* * *

"I didn't know at first, what is 'cheating' and how come I only met Stefan now. But over time, I realized that he was a lying, cheating fucking bastard that had been unfaithful to her for years," his eyes hardened and she could clearly hear the anger radiating from his voice and his eyes, "Rose never did come back, though, because three days later, I saw the news that reported that a woman named Rose McClaren, 28 years old, had committed suicide by hanging herself in her house."

Elena's brows shot up as she let out a gasp, "She's dead?"

He nodded, "She's been dead for three days. Apparently, after she gave Stefan to mom, she went home and decided to take her own life. She was poor, Len. Dad had evidently left her because he could not handle another baby, she had no financial support and she gave Stefan away."

"Oh my God," she whispered, put her hand over her mouth. Tears still streaming down her face, but still there was a trace of beauty on it. "Damon..."

He smiled sadly and reassuringly at her, "It's over now, Len."

"You were so young, Damon," she choked back a sob, "You were so young and you have to experienced that. I'm – I'm sorry, I should have been there for you," she cried, "I should have been there for you," she repeated that over and over again until Damon engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Do not ever blame yourself for what had happened to me, Elena," he said against her hair fiercely.

He lifted her up and put her legs over his lap so that he could hug her closer and she was practically half-sitting on his lap, "It's not your fault."

More people now staring at them like they were some kind of show. He glared at them, shooting every single one of them a nasty look.

"I'm sorry," her voice muffled against his shoulder, "I should be the one who comfort you."

He let her go, only to keep her in his embrace closely, "Nonsense. Look, you are my best friend. I'm sure you would do everything in your power to be there for me, but Len," he offered her a smile, making her cried harder, "You were only a child yourself."

She brought him back in her embrace, sobbing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Damon."

"Hush, Len. None of that now. What matters is that you are here now, with me, being my rock, and I am so grateful for that," he kissed the top of her head.

She could not find it in her heart to imagine a child, like Damon had to go through that. Sure, she had watched movies and TV series about a man and wife who fight and their children become a victim. But, she had never, ever, thought that that kind of things had happened to the closest friend of hers, to someone she had cared and loved so much. No one, child or adult, got to experienced such horrible thing in their life.

She suddenly felt rage coursing inside of her for what Giuseppe had done to Damon and Agatha. She had thought that the Salvatores was a perfect family model, but it turned out very different than she expected. She wanted to beat him as well to just let him feel the slightest physical pain he had put on Damon and Agatha. She would be very happy to know if he would experience the same pain and agony as Damon had felt from him.

After for what seem hours, her cries had calmed down. Damon still had her in his arms in a fierce hug, somehow telling her that everything was going to be okay and what had happened to him was not anyone's fault, except Giuseppe's. He did not want her to take the blame for not being there for him. She was only a child herself, for God's sake. She could not do anything anyway when the sadistic events happened to him and Agatha.

He pressed a kiss to her temple, "Are you okay now?"

He felt her nod then slowly let her go but keeping his arms on both sides of her hips, "I'm sorr – "

"You say 'I'm sorry' one more time, and I won't speak to you again," he threatened.

She sighed, "Okay, fine. Just so you know, if _Giuseppe_ ," she said the word as if it burned her tongue, "was here, I would hang him by his balls until he begs for mercy." She looked at him with fire in her eyes, "He hurt you, Damon. You are the _m_ _ost_ important person in my life and he had hurt you so bad."

Damon's heart beat faster when she said that he was the most important person in her life. Did she know that she is in his?

"I know," he whispered, "He had done one thing right, though, by giving Stefan to my family. He may not my _brother_ brother, but he was the highlight of my childhood besides you, of course. He had sent Stefan, then we became close friends and I would do anything for him. I just don't want him to meet his father, and be guilty and ashamed."

"He won't. Giuseppe is out of your life for good, right?"

His quiet made Elena's heart fill with uneasiness, "Right, Damon?"

He looked at her intently, "He was the reason I went to _Bolt_ last night. Jessica had brought him back to my life."

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! Okay, so, I wrote this one all day long when actually I should have done my Semiotics assignment, and I hope that the chapter makes sense. Damon started to feel something other than friendship toward Elena, but he still had doubt because he had just broken up with Jessica. Also, Giuseppe is such an asshole!**

 **Love it or hate it? Tell me your thoughts by reviewing :)**

 **See you next chapter! Have a nice Wednesday!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Yeah, not my best chapter but this will helps you to understand that Jessica is kind of cuckoo with her twisted mind. I hope you can find it in you to give this one a chance.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 13**

* * *

"Heads up!" Liam shouted as he throw his sister's pink plush pillow at her head and it hit right at it as he had been playing for a football team when he was in high school.

"Ouch!" she yelled annoyed, "Don't you have anything better to do than to bother me?"

He walked toward Jessica and sat his bum next to her on the couch in front of the TV, which had been playing a scene from a comedy movie, "Okay, the blond guy just sneezed when he had an orgasm with that hot girl and you didn't even laugh. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she mumbled, turning her attention to the TV.

He nudged her shoulder with his, "Come on, you can tell me."

"I broke up with Damon," her voice detached.

"You did?"

She turned her head to face her brother, "Why are you not sounded surprised?"

"I knew it since the first time I met him at his restaurant. I thought I told you."

"Well, I clearly didn't listen to you like always," she rolled her eyes.

He decided to ignore her remark, "Did you see the way he looked at that girl? El... Ale... who was the girl in the restaurant with him the other day?" he asked.

"Elena, his best friend."

"Yes, the doe-eyed beauty. He looked at her the way someone looks at their boyfriend or girlfriend, did you know that?"

"You're wrong. He looks at her the same way he looks at his other friends," she frowned slightly.

"You aren't blind, are ya? I'm not surprised because I know that he was not _in_ love with you. You know the saying about we can see the way a girl who's in love in her smile and a guy in his eyes, or something like that?" he said as he propped his legs on the coffee table.

"Put those filthy feet down," she smacked his legs and he grimaced but put it down anyway, "You're speaking bullshit right now. I'm going out."

She got up then went to her bedroom to grab her shoulder bag then was out the door in a second. Liam, who was trying to be a better brother for Jessica, followed her immediately.

* * *

"Gosh, why are you following me? Seriously, you're annoying," Jessica nudged her brother hard on the shoulder but he did not budge thanks to the workouts he had never missed.

"You're heart broken and you're not supposed to be alone. Come on, I'm trying to be a better brother here."

She walked two steps in front of him but he kept following her, still giving her space at least five inches.

They were walking around the Washington Park not too far away from her apartment. Jessica tightened her blue wool jacket as she grumbled and stomped pebbles that were on her way.

"I'm not that heartbroken to kill myself if that's what you're afraid of, you know?"

He was next to her right after she said that, "I know, I just want to make up for the lost times while I was away."

She sighed softly, "And I truly appreciate it. But, really, you don't have to follow me around."

"I want to," he shrugged and they walked side by side in a silence, lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, Liam stopped in his tracks, with frown on his forehead. It took his sister a second to realize that her brother stood still behind her with his thinking-hard expression on.

"What is it?" she asked as she walked toward him and stood next to him.

"Is that," he pointed at one of the benches under a big yellow-ish tree, "Damon and Elena?"

Jessica's gaze followed his pointed finger and she saw what he had seen. Elena was wrapped up on Damon's arms with her half-sitting on his lap. She could see the hint of tears on the girl's cheeks and her red eyes because of crying. Damon was saying something to her before he let her go but kept her in his embrace.

She pursed her lips, "That's them."

She felt jealousy running through her. Damon had never made her feel this way, because she knew that he was fiercely loyal to her. He had never made her feel like she had to fight for his attention. She never thought that he was the kind of person; the kind who just broke up with someone, yet the next day, he cuddled up with another girl. He got the looks to be a heartbreaker, she knew that. But, she also knew that he was not capable of doing this to her.

"What are they doing?"

"Do you think...," Jessica started, her eyes still frozen on her ex-boyfriend and his best friend, "that he could be cheating on me with her the whole time? That the rest of what I did last night was just an out for him to break up with me and be with her and that was the happy tears of hers?"

"What the hell are you talking about? What did you do last night?"

She blinked a few times to remind herself that Liam was asking a question she did not want to answer, "Nothing."

"What made you guys broke up exactly?" he was now moved to stand in front of her, blocking her to see Damon and Elena on the bench.

"None of your business. Now back off, seriously, I mean it, Liam," she said menacingly. It took him five seconds before he backed off and sighed.

"I'm not kidding either, what did you do?"

She forced herself to look at her brother, "I set up a rendezvous for him and his estranged father, okay? I did not know that they were in such a horrible relationship, he went mad at his father, and then at me and broke up with me."

"No wonders he – "

"Do not say it."

He raised an eyebrow, "You got to fix this if you still want to be with him."

"I don't. He hurt me, badly," she looked away, hiding her pain from last night and her embarrassment for showing her insecurity to her brother.

"So? What are you going to do?"

"Elena," she said coolly, "has to pay. She pretended to know nothing about it and she tricked me to do that. She wants him all for herself and I'm going to make sure she tastes her own medicine."

* * *

"Can I borrow your super cute pink sweat pants with macaroons on them that you don't wear anymore to April's sleepover tonight?" Katherine asked her older sister through the phone as she rummaging Elena's drawers.

" _Even if I said no, you would wear it anyway,"_ Elena chuckled.

"Thanks," she went to another drawer across the bed, "Where is it?"

" _Uh, try the drawer by the window."_

"I did, it's not there. Maybe it's in your closet."

The ten-year-old girl went to her sister's closet; her eyes went wild searching for the sweat pants. She huffed a couple of times when she spot the one she had been looking for, "Found it. It is in your closet."

" _Thank God, what would you do without them to show off to?"_ The older brunette said sarcastically.

"Pft... You need to be more organized, 'Lena. Just do what I do."

" _You're not organized. You have an OCD just like G-ma."_

Katherine looked around her sister's room when suddenly she realized what a mess she had made by throwing most of Elena's clothes and jeans on the floor, "Maybe you're right. Ugh, I can't help but wanting to clean up your room."

" _What was that? I'm right? Guess I had to be million miles away from you for you to realized that I'm always right."_

"Don't get used to it," Katherine replied as she put her phone against her ear and her shoulders while her two hands folded Elena's clothes that she had thrown.

" _How's school? Is math still your enemy?"_

"Nope, Stefan tutored me."

Katherine heard nothing for at least a minute from Elena after she said Stefan's name.

" _So, is he smart or what?"_

"He's good, better than me in math. And American history. And Geography. Oh, and also science, which I excelled last semester but he beat me to it now."

" _Why did I not hear jealousy? You usually don't like it when someone is better than you."_

"He is nice to me. Well, the first time though, he was a loner, he didn't have friends so I guessed that he didn't know how to socialize. But then, we were in a project together and I got to know him and I think he's not so bad," Katherine sat down on her sister's bed after she finished folding all of the clothes and jeans on the floor, "By the way, did you know that he is Damon's half-brother?"

There was a pause again before she answered, _"Yeah, Damon told me."_

"He didn't told me anything about it though, just that they have the same father but different mother."

" _Well, I want you to be nice to him, okay?"_

"What are you talking about? I am nice to everyone," she was felling slightly offended.

" _Yeah, right. You give everyone stink eyes every time you think they are better than you,"_ Elena scoffed.

"'Cause it's true, I am better than anyone."

" _You got to learn how to be modest, lil sis. Maybe Stefan can help you too in that department."_

"Whatever. I gotta go, April's mom will pick me up in an hour. Talk to you soon, okay? Miss you, 'Lena," She knew she don't sy it enough but when she do, she really meant it.

She could feel her sister's smile radiating through the phone _, "I miss you too, Kat. I'll be home for Thanksgiving, wait for me, okay? Take care, I love you."_

"Love you too."

* * *

"This is the third time you came home late in a week, did you know that?"

Caroline threw her legs over the bed before crossing her arms in front of her chest and looked intently at Elena who just closed the door of their room at almost eleven p.m.

"I didn't know that we're married and I have to tell you my whereabouts every single minute," Elena smirked as she put her purse on the table and take off her scarf.

"Are you seeing someone new? And you don't tell me? How could you?"

"And I'm pretty sure I also didn't bring my mother here," she said sarcastically, getting annoyed by her interrogation.

"I'm just worried about you," Caroline pouted, sitting on the edge of her bed, her arms still crossing across her chest.

She chuckled, "I'm sorry. If you really want to know, I went to Broadway with Damon on Tuesday, then he asked me to taste his new recipe for the restaurant on Thursday and, tonight, we went to some poetry club and just hung out there for hours. It was fun, though, I thought I was going to be bred to death – "

"So, you were out with Damon?"

"I did," she frowned when she saw Caroline's expression turned happy with silly suggestive grin on her face, "what?"

"You were on dates with Damon. Aw, that's sweet," Caroline fluttered her eyelids in a very adorable way.

"No, we weren't, we were just hanging out," Elena chastised as she shuffle across the room to take out her tank top and short shorts.

"You can tell me whatever you want, it sounds like dates to me," she waved her hand nonchalantly.

"For the last time I'm with Matt. I cannot tell you enough that –"

Her outburst was cut off with the shrill from her phone on her nightstand. She picked it up; her face went unreadable then hit the red button on the left on her iPhone.

"Who was that?"

"Matt called. I'm tired; I think I will just call him back tomorrow."

Elena went to the door to the shared bathroom, leaving Caroline alone with her thoughts.

"Wow, she blew off Matt. Maybe next month I'm going to see the new power couple, _Delena_ ," Caroline said to herself happily before she put her hair on a high bun and went to do her nightly routine.

* * *

 **Caroline sounds like a psychic when it comes to DE, am I right? Did you find this chapter some sort of a filler? Because I found it is. And no DE scenes, but I promise you, you will have your usual dose of DE goodness next chapter if you drop a review and let me know that you think :)**

 **See you next chapter! Happy weekend!**


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